February to April rainfall is likely to be above median for the Northern Territory, most of Queensland and eastern parts of New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. However, the rest of Australia has equal chances of above or below median rainfall.

The fortnight of 10-23 January is likely to be drier for Western Australia, the NT, South Australia, western Queensland and south-west Tasmania, but wetter for eastern parts of NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.

February to April maximum temperatures are likely to be above median for most areas of Australia, expect for eastern NSW and far eastern Victoria where below median temperatures are possible.

There is an increased chance of unusually high maximum temperatures for February to April over much of the western half of Australia, extending through SA and into western parts of NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.

Minimum temperatures for the first quarter of the year are likely to be warmer than median Australian wide, with most areas having greater than 80 per cent chance of exceeding the median, BoM reported.