Australians on the east coast can expect a wetter than average start to summer, while the west coast can put their umbrellas away, according to a Bureau of Meteorology outlook released on Thursday.
However, a drying influence from the west coast could cancel out a wetter influence from the east.
Temperatures are likely to be warmer than average through October to December.
Day and night time temperatures are forecast to be likely warmer than average for most of tropical northern Australia and some parts of southeast Australia.
The average maximum temperatures in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth will range between 24-27 degrees Celsius .
There will be a between 33-36 degrees Celsius average maximum for Darwin, 21-24 degrees Celsius for Adelaide and Melbourne, 18 to 21 degrees Celsius for Hobart and between 21 and 24 degrees Celsius in Canberra.
The hottest areas – St Georges Ranges, Marble Bar, Telfer and Lake Argyle, all in northern Western Australia – over the next three months will reach average temperatures of between 39 and 42 degrees Celsius.
Average minimum temperatures in Sydney, Perth and Adelaide will be range between 12 and 15 degrees Celsius. In Brisbane the average temperature will range between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius, Darwin will be in the 24-27 degree range, Canberra and Hobart will be between 6 and 9 degrees Celsius.
Hot winter
The outlook comes after Australia experienced one of its hottest winters on record.
The national mean temperature was hotter than average and winter 2017 was the fifth-warmest on record.
The average maximum temperature was warmest on record nationally, as well as for Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory. It was the second-highest for South Australia, and the third-highest for New South Wales.
The rainfall for Australia's winter months were very much below average and was named the ninth-driest winter on record nationally. It was the 10th-driest for New South Wales and 11th-driest for Western Australia.
October-December in 2016?
October
During October 2016, the bureau reports it was cool over much of the eastern mainland and Northern Territory. It was a very wet month for western Tasmania and rainfall above average for Victoria, northern Western Australia, and the Gulf of Carpentaria region.
November
Days and nights were warmer than average across the west, the north and parts of Australia's east coast. It was drier than average across a lot of southern Australia west of Victoria, and northeast Australia. It was wetter than average for Tasmania, as well a parts of northwest Australia and the Northern Territory.
Days and nights were warmer than average across the west, the north and parts of Australia's east coast. It was drier than average across a lot of southern Australia west of Victoria, and northeast Australia. It was wetter than average for Tasmania, as well a parts of northwest Australia and the Northern Territory.
December
Days and nights were warmer than average across most of the east. But it was cooler than average for northwestern Australia and the Northern Territory south of the Top End.
It was wetter than average for most of southwest and eastern Western Australia, much of the Northern Territory, South Australia and some parts of western New South Wales and Queensland.
