Australia is in for a hot, dry March, with heightened bushfire risk and the possibility of more heatwaves.

With autumn starting on Wednesday, you can expect warmer days and nights and less rain than usual, the Bureau of Meteorology's climate outlook says.

Take some solace in the fact there was not a single day over 40 degrees recorded in Melbourne during summer, and we had a slightly cooler February than usual.

"Generally February was a bit cooler than usual – not a big deviation from the usual though," Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Keris Arndt​ said.