Prediction says Australia is about to shiver through a colder than average winter

Australia is set for a colder than average winter, according to a weather forecaster.

David Taylor, who successfully predicted Townsville would be hit by substantial rain at the end of February, told Yahoo7 winter "will hit hard" with minimum temperatures to drop close to their lowest recorded and snowfall in areas of southern Australia.

Mr Taylor uses Global Forecast System modelling, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast and changes in sunspot activity and observations for forecasts on his Brisbane Weather and East Coast Weather Facebook pages.

He believes summer will be extended by six weeks, autumn will be "short and sweet" before winter hits.

Mr Taylor pointed out with severe storms, and heavy winds belting the USA, along with Cyclone Emma, "the Beast from the East", hitting the UK and Ireland, Australia could be in line for its own dosage of severe weather.

"Russia's also copping it bad. England thought they'd run out of gas," Mr Taylor said.

"So, it's not just an isolated event. The thing about the weather is it has a butterfly effect. We're next."

Mr Taylor said it's possible Sydney could hit a minimum of 2.2C and Brisbane, 2.3C in what would be equal record lows.

But when asked if it meant people living in both cities would wake up to snowfall in the streets, Mr Taylor said, "I doubt it".

"We're looking at higher-elevated places in southern Australia and some of these areas don't normally see snow," he said.

"Stanthorpe and Warwick [in Queensland] should see snow. Further north, it's possible Eungella, which is inland from Mackay, could also see snowfall."

Stanthorpe and other areas of the Granite Belt were hit by large snowfall in the winter of 2015 for the first time in more than 30 years.

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Mr Taylor added cold fronts forming off the east coast are also developing as "early indicators" of what's ahead. He clarified it didn't mean the cold was going "to hit us now".

When asked about Mr Taylor's forecasts, the Bureau of Meteorology said it "does not normally comment on forecasts provided by amateurs or other meteorological organisations".

"However, we do note that Australia has not set a record for the coldest month, season or year since October 1975, and we are now coming off our second hottest summer on record," BOM said in a statement.

Yahoo7 asked BoM for its forecasts for the upcoming winter, but was advised the bureau releases its winter outlook in late May to ensure accuracy.