At this stage i don't see too many signs that this summer is 'the big one' - in fact 'neutral' seems to be the key word - though i still think a dramatic northern summer is on the cards in the next few years. (Yes, there are places experiencing extreme conditions but it's not the 'tipping point' season i'd expected - not so far)

Meteorologists are saying that it's a neutral year regarding El Nino-La Nina - and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is also neutral - so is it the calm before the storm?

The IOD is predicted to head into 'positive' territory which indicates a dry spring-summer for Aus meaning worse bushfire conditions - but they were also saying a dry winter before and it bucketed down for months - so we'll see ...

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/