Australia Weather News

Where has the rain gone? An almost empty dam in southern Tasmania. - ABC

The weather bureau says spring in Tasmania was the driest on record.

Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Ian Barnes Keohgan says the records go back more than 140 years.

Farmers are looking at a summer season where the lack of recent rain will cause major headaches for many producers.

"Cape Bruny lighthouse, 144 years of records, and Bushy Park, 141 years of records, both of those had their driest spring," Mr Barnes Keohgan said.

"For the state average, we start those records in the year 1900, so it's a significant amount of time.

"October was an extremely dry month, as was most of September and November, and the outlook for summer offers a slim hope for more rain."

The El Nino in the Pacific Ocean is strong at the moment and has been having a significant impact on rainfall.

"The models are now indicating the El Nino will start to decay shortly and that could change things," Mr Barnes Keohgan said.

"The outlook for December to February is pretty much neutral, with a 50/50 chance of above or below average rainfall.

"But we see the possibility of a couple of bright spikes where some wet weather could come in."

ABC