Australia looks set to experience the same weather conditions this year that were responsible for the nation’s last devastating drought in the summer of 2009.

The weather bureau say all of its models are pointing to an El Nino weather system forming in October.

Typically, El Nino weather events mean drier conditions across Australia, and despite the plentiful rain along the east coast over the past week, there are still large areas of the country that still have below-average rainfall.

Earlier this year, leading to wetter weather.

El Nino occurs when the central and eastern Pacific warms up, causing major shifts in weather patterns.

Karl Braganza, the manager of climate modelling at the Bureau of Meteorology, says it is too early to tell how severely the nation will be affected.

He also says it would be difficult to predict whether El Nino will bring upon a drought.

“That would be very difficult to say. Certainly if the El Nino gets locked in, you’d expect drier conditions over Australia this coming summer,” he said.

“Most of those models are saying probably neutral to El Nino conditions over the next few months but then out into spring a lot of the models are going for an El Nino event.

“The drying over the south-west and the south-east has been occurring for a lot longer and it’s not necessarily related to El Nino events.”

Victoria Department of Primary Industries climate specialist Graeme Anderson says it is too early to predict what the effects will be for farmers.

“It is a bit like footy tipping and at the moment I think if most of the models are tending towards an El Nino then that’s just like with a footy tipping side,” he said.

“If most are barracking or tipping one particular side it’s going to win. But as we know, it doesn’t always guarantee that result. And certainly what we’ve seen with farmers when we deal within certain Victorian districts that El Nino can mean, historically has meant drier springs.

“But there’s also been the seasons where, while we’ve had an El Nino, a couple of good individual rain bearing systems have come in and delivered a good spring.

“So it doesn’t guarantee a dry spring but it does set up the odds for drier than average conditions.”

About 18,000 homes remain without power in Perth and Western Australia’s southwest as the third major storm since Thursday approaches the region.

About 30 schools are currently closed as a result of the wild weather.

Electricity utility Western Power on Tuesday said crews would focus on restoring power to the worst-affected areas following a storm on Sunday, when the fourth strongest wind gust on record hit the state, clocking 146km/h.

Winds of about 125km/h, equivalent to a category two cyclone, are expected to hit the large region south of Geraldton later on Tuesday.

Western Power said about 7500 customers in the metropolitan area were still without power.

A further 10,700 customers in country areas were yet to be reconnected, mainly in Donnybrook, Pinjarra, Kewdale and Boddington.

Only 300 customers in the Mandurah, Dawesville and Meadow Springs region were still waiting for power.

“Some houses may remain without power for several days as the mop-up continues and Western Power asks for people to be patient and to consider relocating to homes of family and friends that have power,” the utility said in a statement.

Western Power, which reconnected more than 150,000 customers in the past 36 hours, urged people to clear or secure any debris from around their homes in preparation for the fresh storm front later on Tuesday.

Sunday’s storm caused unprecedented damage to the state’s electricity network and came three days after a tornado swept through the northern suburbs of Dianella and Morley, damaging homes and businesses, and uprooting trees.

The latest storm is expected to peak at midnight (WST).