The Bureau of Meteorology is fuelling those hopes with long-range forecasts of above average rainfall in the coming months, thanks to a developing La Nina.

The bureau released its 2020 Spring Outlook yesterday, showing much of Australia has a high likelihood of above average rain.

After two of the worst wet seasons on record, Katherine is hoping they are right.

The chance of an early rainfall onset for northern Australia for the 2020-21 wet season is higher than average over most of northern Australia.

The highest likelihood is across inland and central coastal parts of Queensland, and southern Northern Territory. There are roughly equal chances of an early or late rainfall onset for the western half of Western Australia, and far northern parts of Australia.

The northern rainfall onset outlook gives an indication of whether the first significant rains after September 1 are likely to be earlier or later than average.

The bureau's Climate Operations manager Dr Andrew Watkins said the outlook was being largely driven by changes in sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific and Indian oceans.

"Most long-range forecasts analysed by the bureau, including from our own climate model, are indicating a La Nina could develop in the spring, which typically results in above-average winter-spring rainfall for Australia, particularly across eastern, central and northern regions.

"A La Nina also typically brings cooler and cloudier days, more tropical cyclones, and an earlier onset of the first rains of the northern wet season."

Dr Watkins said spring was typically a time of year when outlook models had a higher reliability.

"At this time of year, we start to see some of our main climate drivers locking in, which gives more certainty about what our weather patterns will be like in the coming months.

"We're starting to see that in the Pacific with a La Nina beginning to take shape, and we are also seeing some changes in the Indian Ocean, which may also boost the chance of rain during spring."

Bureau predictions:

Warmer conditions and above average temperatures are likely, especially in the north of Australia.

High chance of above average rainfall across the majority of the state, particularly in the south-east.

High chance of exceeding median maximum temperatures across the state, except for the south-east.

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