Australians should prepare for a hotter, drier spring this year with meteorologists expecting higher temperatures and less rainfall.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued its spring weather outlook yesterday (August 26, 2009).  It predicts much of Australia's eastern seaboard has a 60% chance of below-average rainfall, including Canberra and the NSW region.  Western Australia was the only state which was more likely to have above-average rainfall.

Canberra was likely to get 108mm of rainfall and there was an even chance of 149mm.  Both predictions are short of the seasonal average of 166mm of rainfall.

Temperatures across the country are also likely to rise above the median maximum in September and November.  Queensland and the Northern Territory will be the hardest hit - both have a 70% to 85% chance of exceeding their maximum median temperatures, which can get up to 39°C.

Canberra has a 60% chance of temperatures higher than 18°C, the median maximum for the territory.  Meteorologist Grant Beard said warm, dry weather in the latter half of the year was typically caused by the El Nino phenomenon.  "That's just the typical response you get from an El Nino as air pressure rises over Australia, rainfall reduces as a consequence and the skies are generally clearer so there's more sunlight and days tend to be warmer," he said.

An El Nino appeared to be developing across the Pacific and was expected to peak late this year but Mr Beard said it was hard to predict the severity.  "You can never tell from one El Nino to another how bad or how benign they might be," he said.