AFTER warm autumn days a sudden cold snap heralded the arrival of winter in south-west Queensland.

Despite the new month and new season being bundled into one very brisk package on June 1, forecasts are tipping this winter to be a mild one.

But with sub-zero temperatures expected in Roma over the weekend, it is apparent that winter has arrived.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, morning frosts are expected today and tomorrow, with the mercury barely expected to tip 20 degrees for the remainder of the week.

BoM senior climatologist Robyn Duell said the June-August outlook suggested a warmer and drier winter ahead overall.

"Autumn saw some long dry spells, broken up with a handful of significant rainfalls,” she said.

"Overall however, autumn was dominated by high pressure and clear skies in many areas, which meant rainfall was well below average in places the tropical moisture didn't reach,”she said.

Ms Duell said many climate models predict an El Nino event during the second half of 2017.

El Nino is often, but not always, associated with a drier than average winter-spring over eastern Australia. Potential effects of this weather pattern include reduced rainfall, warmer temperatures, increased fire danger and increased frost risk.

"Even if El Nino doesn't form, drier-than-average conditions could still persist over Australia during winter,” Ms Duell said.