Much of Australia is expected to have a drier and warmer than usual winter, according to the latest seasonal outlook issued by the Bureau of Meteorology this week.

Climate outlooks assess the broad-scale features that are likely to influence weather during the coming months. They are largely based on the current and predicted future patterns of sea surface temperatures in the oceans surrounding Australia.

The Pacific Ocean has been in an El-Nino like pattern during the last few months recent and is only slowly returning to a more neutral state. The Indican Ocean is currently in a neutral phase but is anticipated to shift towards a positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) pattern during the coming months.

Both El Nino and a positive IOD increase the likelihood of below-average rain and above average temperatures in Australia during winter and spring. This has been reflected in the Bureau’s winter outlook.

Rainfall is tipped to be near-to-below average across Australia between June and August, with most of the country predicted to see less rain than usual.

Daytime maximum temperatures are expected to be above average for almost the entire country. Overnight minimums are likely to be near-to-below average, while dry soil will enhance the prevalence of frost in some areas.

Visit http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/outlooks for the latest seasonal outlooks from the Bureau of Meteorology.