La Niña could return before the end of the year, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), but temperatures are still likely to be above average for large parts of the world.
The WMO predicts there is a 55 per cent chance of the climate pattern developing sometime from September to November this year.
Both La Niña and its counterpart, El Niño, result from variations in ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific and have a strong influence on weather, including in Australia.
La Niña occurs when winds become stronger, changing ocean currents and drawing cooler water up from below. This means increased rainfall, particularly across the east and north, and cooler daytime temperatures.
It can also mean increased tropical cyclone numbers and earlier monsoon onset, as well as a higher chance of flooding.
Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), however, predicts a neutral ENSO — that is, neither La Niña or El Niño — until at least January.
"This is consistent with most international models assessed, although some indicate the potential for borderline La Niña levels," the BoM said last week.
"There is a relatively large spread in the model forecasts, indicating more uncertainty than usual in the ENSO forecast."
WMO predicts a 45 per cent chance of a neutral ENSO.
What's ahead for Australia?
Zhi-Weng Chua, a senior climatologist with the BoM, told SBS News last week that spring is likely to be wetter than usual for most of the eastern half of Australia, particularly during the earlier part of the season.
"For small parts of south-western Western Australia and south-western Tasmania, rainfall is likely to be below average, and then for the remaining parts, such as most of Western Australia, as well as the south-east areas of Victoria, there isn't a strong signal for below or average rainfall," he said.
Chua said there is an "increased chance" of unusually high temperatures in the north and the south-east.
While it's harder to predict storms due to their highly localised nature, he said it was likely there would be an increased likelihood of stormy conditions going into spring.
"The seasonal forecast for spring does have increased rainfall over much of Australia; it's reasonable to expect that some of this rainfall may be driven by storms or generated by storms. But it's difficult to be really precise," he said.
The BoM's long-range forecast for the next three months also has localised rainfall and temperature conditions for the Australian states and territories.
