March was drier than average, with night temperatures 1.5 degrees below average and daytime temperatures 2 degrees warmer.

"That just suggests we haven't had a lot of cloud; a lot of sunshine which means cooler nights and warmer days," Sean Carson from the Bureau of Meteorology said.

He said there was a strong chance Canberrans could enjoy a dry Easter long weekend, despite a forecast of potential showers.

"We are probably looking at only getting 10 millimetres of rain over the Easter period," he said. "It's a very 50-50 call as to whether we will get rain here on not. Saturday and Sunday afternoon are the most likely, but it's far from a guarantee."

Mr Carson said Canberrans should be prepared for all conditions at Easter.

"There will certainly be some nice weather in there . . . [but] keep the brolly handy."

Wet weather may hit the north coast but a dry Easter break was as likely for the south coast as in Canberra.

Mr Carson said the long weekend might be a great chance for a swim or surf as April was typically a month for light winds and warm water temperatures of 23 degrees.

The bureau has forecast above average rainfall to much of mainland Australia in its April to June climate and rainfall outlook.

Senior climatologist Robyn Duell said there was a 70 per cent chance the capital would experience a wetter than average few months, particularly in April and May.

"There's also a slight bias towards warmer than usual days and there's [a] greater than 85 per cent chance that nights will be warmer than usual; so maybe less frost in Canberra going into winter," she said.

Ms Duell said toastier minimum temperatures and higher rainfall levels were the result of warmer than average seas around much of Australia's coast.

"The main driver is the warmth in the Indian Ocean; it increases the moisture in the atmosphere so when cold fronts sweep across the country, it's more likely you'll get rains with those."

More rain would bring more cloud, which would trap heat in at night and cause minimum temperatures to rise, the bureau said.

Early indicators suggested there was a 50 per cent chance of El Nino conditions developing in the second part of the year, which was double the usual odds.

"That often results in less rain falling across parts of eastern Australia, including the ACT," Ms Duell said.

This year has had its fair share of extreme weather. Canberra experienced its wettest January in 16 years. The same month was also the coldest in 15 years.

The first weeks of autumn have brought chillier temperatures to Canberra and caused the first red leaves to appear on the capital's trees.

They've also brought out many amateur photographers keen to capture the region's most picturesque season.

Carpets of fallen leaves, skies over Lake Burley Griffin ablaze at sunrise and the light spectacular that was Enlighten 2015 have all served as inspiration for The Canberra Times' autumn photo competition.

This is the first glimpse of this season's entries from keen snappers who got in early.

Marta Yebra, of Bruce, takes family portraits as a hobby.

She said her favourite spot was a tree-filled park in Yarralumla because it was "perfect for autumn pictures".

She captured her four-year-old son, Luca Darrido, at the spot as he played hide-and-seek in the fallen oak leaves and hunted for tiny bugs and nuts.

"The colours of the leaves and the leaves on the ground, it's just a wonderful representation of autumn."

Competition entrants' photos have the chance of being published in The Canberra Times newspaper or on canberratimes.com.au.

Send a maximum of three photos to photocomp@canberratimes.com.au as attached JPEG files and include your name, address, phone number, photo title, a description of the photo and the date it was taken.

Photos must be at least 150 kilobytes to a maximum of one megabyte. Winners will take home a share of the $1000 prize.