Sydney, Nov 28 (IANS): Australian emergency authorities warned on Thursday that much of the country's south coast is facing an increased bushfire risk during the upcoming summer.

The National Council for Fire and Emergency Services (AFAC) released the Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for Summer 2024 on Thursday, warning of an increased fire risk for large areas of the country, reports Xinhua news agency.

It said that approximately half of the southeastern state of Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, the southern coastline of the state of Western Australia (WA), and parts of the coastal region of the state of South Australia (SA) have an increased fire risk.

Large parts of the Northern Territory (NT) outback are facing an increased fire risk, AFAC warned, as are inland areas in New South Wales (NSW), the most populous state, and WA's central west coast.

According to AFAC, mean temperatures across Australia between April and October were the third-highest recorded since 1910 and rainfall in the country's south was below average.

"The dry winter and spring period across southern Australia mean the landscape is well primed for bushfires. Communities should be ready for bushfires and have a plan in place. We hope the rains come, but it makes sense to plan as if they don't," AFAC chief executive Rob Webb said in a statement.

The summer long-range forecast released separately by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) showed that the season is likely to be warmer than average across most of the country.

However, it also forecasts more summer rainfall, particularly in December.

"October to April is Australia's peak time for severe thunderstorms, tropical cyclones, flooding, heatwaves and bushfires," the BoM said.

Speaking at a press conference in Canberra, the deputy coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Joe Buffalone, said that authorities are better prepared than ever to respond to severe weather events.