SPRING is expected to make its presence felt early this month.
While there are warmer temperatures expected to start, a front moving across from the west is expected to reach Adelaide by Saturday afternoon, according to Bureau of Meteorology extreme weather desk senior forecaster Scott Williams.
Mr Williams warned there could be damaging winds moving east across the state throughout Saturday.
“Spring typically is changeable and this year it starts out changeable as always,” he said.
He warned cold water temperatures south of Australia and northern warm fronts would contribute to a dip in the temperature heading into spring.
BOM climate prediction services manager Andrew Watkins said Australia had just had its driest winter since 2002 – which was marked by an El Nino event – and was expected to be the warmest winter on record, breaking the previous 2009 record.
“While Australia's main climate drivers—the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole— are both neutral, other climate drivers are likely to influence spring,” he said.
Dr Watkins said the oceans still had an impact on weather with warm conditions in parts of the Indian and Pacific oceans blocking cold fronts, which meant there was not the usual winter rainfall patterns.
“As the highs moved further north we’ve seen a bit more normal rain in August,” he said.
Clear nights also mean a continued frost risk.
Outlooks for SA show equal to slightly elevated chances of above average rainfall in eastern parts of the state.
