Large swathes of eastern and northern Australia will have a wet spring, but bushfire risks will persist for southeast Queensland, the seasonal bushfire outlook has warned.
Dry conditions are also likely to persist in parts of Western Australia, elevating the fire threat.
The Australian Seasonal Bushfire Outlook issued for September to November found the 2020-21 fire season will be driven by different phenomena to the past two seasons, with an active La Nina alert likely to bring plenty of wet weather.
The outlook found that as well as the 70 per cent likelihood of La Nina forming this year, a negative Indian Ocean Dipole also made a wet spring in eastern Australia more likely.
Despite the moisture, the outlook found parts of Queensland - particularly the state's populous southeast - face above-average fire potential in the spring months.
"While these wetter conditions in eastern Australia will help for spring, they may lead to an increase in the risk of fast-running fires in grasslands and cropping areas over summer," Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC chief Richard Thornton said in a statement on Monday.
While 2020 has brought a return to average rainfall patterns across Australia after a drought-stricken 2019, the bushfire outlook warned conditions have remained dry in central and southeast Queensland, Western Australia and parts of South Australia.
Temperatures in Australia last year were the warmest in 110 years of records.
"Fire is a regular occurrence across Australia and it is important to remember that areas designated as normal fire potential will still see fires. When the wind is up and the weather is warm, fires can occur right across the country," Dr Thornton said.
The publication of the report comes as an action plan for this summer's bushfire season is expected to be unveiled in a report handed down on Monday.
Governor-General David Hurley and state governors are due to receive "interim observations" from the royal commission into national natural disaster arrangements.
Australian Associated Press
