Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- The grain harvest in Western Australia, the country's biggest wheat-growing state, may be hampered by rain, with the government's weather forecaster predicting above-average rainfall in the next three months.

An area covering northwest to central Western Australia has a 60-65 percent chance of wetter-than-average weather between October and December, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology in Melbourne said today on its Web site. The state produces more than a third of the national wheat crop. Odds for average rainfall across the rest of the country are about 50 percent.

Farmers in Australia, the world's second-largest wheat exporter last year, are counting on at least average rainfall during the next month to help complete crop development before the October-to-January harvest. Rain during those months can cause wheat seeds on un-harvested crops to germinate, reducing quality.

The bureau said climate indicators in the Pacific showed prospects for a drought and flood-causing El Nino weather pattern were ``neutral.''

``An El Nino event developing in 2005 is not considered a realistic possibility,'' the forecaster said.

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural & Resource Economics last week said farmers will gather 19.7 million tons from the next wheat harvest, down from 20.4 million tons last year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jason Gale in Singapore at j.gale@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 14, 2005 23:23 EDT