Fire agencies are prepping for a possible earlier start to the season as long-range forecasts signal a drier and warmer winter.
An El Nino weather pattern, which was declared by the US federal science agency overnight, has Victoria's Country Fire Authority on alert ahead of the fire season, chief officer Jason Heffernan says.
Australia's climate is driven by more than just the El Nino-Southern Oscillation pattern that cycles in the Pacific Ocean periodically, and has been flagged but not yet confirmed by the local weather agency.
The latest long-range forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology, however, predict below-average rainfall across parts of southern and eastern Australia for the next three months, and above-average temperatures for much of the nation.
Fire agencies draw on long-range weather forecasts and their own monitoring of soil moisture, fuel loads and other conditions to prepare for the fire season ahead, allowing them to make proactive decisions about resourcing, community education and hazard mitigation.
