The entire Australian continent is likely to have a warmer-than-average winter and all but the eastern half of Tasmania is likely to get average or sub-par rainfall, according to the latest seasonal outlooks by the Bureau of Meteorology.

If accurate, the predictions for the June-August period indicate the general drying out underway over south-eastern Australia in recent months will be extended. Much of the region has also experienced record late-season warmth with a slew of autumn records tumbling.

Lightning Ridge sheep farm from last November. Credit:Anthony Johnson

Nationally, the chance of a warmer-than-normal winter is greater than 60 per cent for both maximum and minimum temperatures.

For all of Tasmania, most of Victoria and south-western Western Australia, the probability rises to at least 80 per cent, with only a slightly lower prediction for maximum temperatures in NSW.