South Africa can expect good summer rainfall over the larger part of the region, the South African Weather Service said on Tuesday.

The weather service was optimistic of an above average rainfall season, said SAWS chief scientist Professor Willem Landman.

Already, above average rainfall had been experienced in November — the last of the three months considered to be spring, he said.

"We expect the trend to continue for the rest of the summer rainfall season, especially mid-season."

The country's summer months are traditionally considered to be December, January and February.

Landman emphasised that long-term forecasts such as this were not as reliable or as skilful as the SAWS day-to-day weather forecasts.

He said mid-summer was the period when much of the above average rainfall was expected to occur, and that it would take place over almost the entire country including the winter rainfall region.

There was a small chance of below average rainfall in only the far western parts of the country.

As far as farmers were concerned, they wanted good rainfall during the grain filling and tasselling stages of their crops, which was now.

They might experience problems if the rain continued for too long and they were unable to harvest.

Landman said Indian Ocean conditions were unlikely to hamper any rain systems developing, rather pointing to favourable rainfall conditions.

There was no chance of the development of the El Nino system generally associated with dry conditions, or drought.

"We are in a neutral state," he said. This meant there was neither an El Nino nor a La Nina, which brought the opposite conditions.

A large number of the forecasting models used pointed towards favourable rainfall conditions.

Some of the models used in determining possible long-term scenarios at best indicated a weak La Nina developing, but conditions were more likely to remain neutral, said Landman.

If a La Nina did develop, it would simply increase the chances of favourable rainfall, he said.

Sapa