Coming months are likely to be drier than usual across most of Australia, with warmer than usual daytime temperatures.

The Bureau of Meteorology says the autumn weather outlook is for below median rainfall away from the south-east coast, and Australia's key climate drivers are expected to be neutral over the coming months after three consecutive La Nina events.

"When our climate drivers are more neutral, autumn rainfall in southern Australia has generally been lower than average over recent decades,” Technical Lead Extended Prediction Andrew Watkins said. “Some areas may continue to have below average rainfall over coming months.”

Most of Australia has normal bushfire potential during autumn, though there is above normal bushfire risk in parts of NSW, Queensland and WA and continued risk of grassfires across southern Australia after abundant vegetation growth during the second-wettest spring on record in 2022, which has dried over summer.

Flood risk remains in Northern Australia, particularly in areas where rivers and water storages are still high.

The Bureau says large areas in the south had a drier than average summer, with rainfall in parts of south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern NSW well below average. It was a much drier summer than usual for southern and inland parts of WA, western Victoria and western Tasmania.

Summer days were warmer than average in Tasmania, western and central regions of WA and large parts of SA, but cooler across most of the NT and Queensland.

The National Council for Fire and Emergency Services (AFAC) said last week prolific grass growth is driving above normal potential in parts of NSW, Queensland and WA and vegetation growth may dry out in the first half of 2023, leading to high bushfire fuel loads in some places.

“Climate outlooks for autumn suggest a change to drier landscapes, with much of the country likely to see below average rainfall and normal-to-above-normal temperatures,” AFAC said.

“Rainfall over the last couple of seasons has created favourable growing conditions and fuels in these areas are re-accumulating quickly.”

Drier than average top-metre soil moisture is expected by late autumn for much of Australia.

"For eastern Australia, this is a significant change from the wet soils experienced last year,” AFAC’s bushfire outlook said.

Below normal fire potential is forecast in areas across NSW, Victoria and ACT after spring and summer rainfall, though AFAC says these areas are “accumulating regrowth quickly following favourable growing conditions”.