And the city has now shivered its way through its first day of winter, setting the tone for what is to come.

Maximum temperatures are expected to be below average, while minimums are likely to be a tad warmer than usual.

In other news:

The Bureau of Meteorology is also forecasting a wetter than average winter, and with creeks and rivers across the Riverina already saturated, that brings with it an increased risk of flooding.

"It's certainly looking wet," the Bureau's head of long-range forecasts Dr Andrew Watkins said.

"Soil moisture is pretty high and that is forecast to continue, so, unfortunately the flood risk remains fairly high.

"People will need to be cautious and aware if there are any big rain events because there is not a lot of room for the water to go.

"In particular, be very careful if you're anywhere close to rivers or anywhere that can flood."

Dr Watkins also encouraged Riverina residents to keep an eye on the Bureau's forecasts and warnings for the latest information.

"Please don't drive through flood waters. You hear things like 'Turn around, don't drown' and it is quite important because unfortunately we do see some tragedies when it comes to flood events," he said.

"While it is not guaranteed to flood, the risk is far higher than what we've seen for a number of years."

Dr Watkins said another danger of having "such a sodden landscape" is the risk of trees falling over.

"If we do get big wind storms, there is a slight increase in the risk of trees falling, so please take caution if strong winds are forecast, especially if you're driving at night," he said.

"Just be aware that trees may not be as stable as they were during the dry period."

Arborist at Wagga's On the Mark Tree Services, Mark Parr, said the combination of wet and windy conditions certainly increase the likelihood of trees or tree limbs falling.

"Not long ago we experienced some pretty bad weather in Wagga that blew a lot of trees down," Mr Parr said.

"So if we do get flooding this winter, there is the possibility trees will uproot and people need to be mindful about where they park their cars, drive and walk."

Wagga arborist Mark McCrone agrees that wind is certainly the main issue.

"While saturated ground can lead to whole tree failures, storm damage can happen at any time and it's the wind loading that causes most of the problems," Mr McCrone said.

But he said the increased rainfall was not all bad and that trees should actually have "a lot of vigour and energy" as a result.

For those concerned about a tree's health, Mr McCrone said the take home message is that tree risk management is something that needs to be attended on an ongoing basis.

"You can't just fix it by a one-off review because trees are dynamic and they change through the seasons," he said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: