Bureau issues Climate Outlook for February to April 2015

29/01/2015

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued its monthly and seasonal climate outlooks for February to April 2015.

The outlook for the next three months indicates:

• February to April is more likely to be drier than normal over most of WA and across large parts of the eastern mainland States (to the west of the divide).
• For the month of February, most of Australia has a moderate to strong chance of a drier than normal month. This signal persists across much of the country in March.
• February to April shows an increased chance of warmer than normal days over Western Australia, parts of South Australia, and much of Queensland and New South Wales.
• Night-time temperatures for the three months are more likely to be warmer than normal over most of Western Australia, western South Australia, and areas of both Queensland and New South Wales. Cooler than normal nights are favoured in an area to the south of the Top End of the Northern Territory.
• Climate influences include some residual warmth in the tropical Pacific Ocean, and a warm central Indian Ocean.

Climate Outlooks indicate likely temperature and rainfall trends over monthly or seasonal timescales, and are driven by large-scale shifts in the climate such as El Niño or La Niña events. By contrast, weather forecasts are currently produced out to seven days, and are used in short-term planning.

For more information visit www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/