As chaotic weather wreaks havoc across Tasmania and Victoria, there are warnings over a heightened threat of bushfires in the coming months in other parts of the country.

Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory face an increased risk of bushfires this spring after "unusually high" maximum temperatures were recorded around the country.

A "scorching end to winter" saw this past month become the warmest Australian August on record, with the national mean temperature 3.03 degrees Celsius above the long-term average.

The official seasonal bushfire outlook shows large areas across the north of Australia and southern and central Queensland are the most at risk, as well as south-west Victoria and the neighbouring south-east corner of SA. 

This week alone, a fire north of Newcastle required more than 140 firefighters to bring it under control amid a total fire ban in the Sydney, Illawarra, and Shoalhaven regions.

While the outlook maps areas of increased fire risk, it is not considered a predictor of exact locations where bushfires will necessarily occur and is instead intended to help communities prepare.

"Now is the time to make a plan," said Rob Webb from the national council for fire and emergency services, AFAC.  

"Understand your local risk, know where you will get your information, and talk to your family about what you will do."

More than 70 homes were destroyed last year in Queensland as the state suffered it's "worst fire season in 70 years". 

Despite a wetter than average spring forecast, the seasonal bushfire outlook considers it "likely" that Queensland will see grassland fire activity during the coming months.

Victoria had its driest August in a decade, with forests in the state's far west and south-west seeing a "substantial increase" in dead and dry plant material.

Without significant rainfall, an earlier bushfire season in the Wimmera, Mallee and Grampians National Park is considered "highly likely".

As volunteers in south-west Victoria contend with fallen trees and damaged buildings, there's still an eye on what's to come. 

"It's easy to forget that we pretty much didn't have any rain over winter. There were days here and there, but not what we're used to," said Lochlan Veale, a third-lieutenant at the Country Fire Authority (CFA) in Yeo, just outside of Colac.

"There's definitely a higher risk of fire." 

Mr Veale will help train other volunteers in the area over the coming weeks in anticipation of the bushfire threat.

The fire risk in New South Wales, Tasmania, Western Australia and the ACT during spring remains normal, but communities have been urged to ensure they have plans in place.

"Fire and emergency services are prepared for the fire season ahead and are here today to encourage communities to do the same," Mr Webb said.