SYDNEY, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Eastern and central Australia are likely to experience above-average rainfall in the upcoming spring, according to an official forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).
The long-range forecast for spring, which was released by the BoM on Thursday ahead of the season starting on Monday, predicted an increased chance of "unusually high" rainfall across much of eastern and central Australia between September and November.
It said that the forecast spring rainfall may provide relief to large parts of southeastern Australia experiencing prolonged droughts.
According to the BoM, the entirety of the east coast states of New South Wales (NSW), Victoria and Queensland, as well as the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), have at least a 50 percent chance of exceeding median spring rainfall, with some regions having an 80 percent chance of doing so.
Above-average rainfall is also considered likely for most of South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Almost the entirety of the east coast states, which accounts for more than three-quarters of the Australian population, has at least a 30 percent chance of an unusually wet spring, meaning rainfall in the top 20 percent on record.
The BoM said that there is an increased risk of spring flooding during heavy rainfall on the east coast of NSW and in southeast Queensland following a wetter-than-average year to date.
Maximum daytime temperatures are forecast to likely exceed the median across northern Australia as well as in Victoria and the island state of Tasmania. ■
