Weather Warnings

The first heatwave of the summer will reach its peak across New South Wales today, with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius likely to span from Western Australia's north-west all the way to Parramatta.

The burst of heat is short and sharp in southern states, sending temperatures more than 10 degrees Celsius above average and raising fire dangers to extreme, with the heat to linger into next week in the northern outback.

The CFS is warning of high fire risk tomorrow with hot and windy conditions forecast, while the BOM has issued a fire weather warning with 'extreme fire danger' for parts of the state.

Summer has arrived in Australia with a bang, with fire and searing heat in the west, while a sprinkling of snow accompanied record cold temperatures in the south-east of the country.

An increased risk of bushfire is expected for parts of the country this summer, with most areas expecting hotter than normal temperatures.

A man has died after he was struck by a tree during a series of storms that have lashed New South Wales.

Thousands of households remain without power and 11 state schools are closed after giant hailstones, destructive winds and intense lightning lashed south-east Queensland.

Lightning, destructive winds and hail have hit large parts of the state, with more than 150,000 homes losing power. 

Port Pirie residents and businesses are picking up the pieces after record-breaking thunderstorms hit town over the weekend.

Tropical Cyclone Fina, which is packing sustained winds of 165 kilometres per hour near its centre, is slowly moving south-west, towards the north-east Kimberley coast.

Large parts of Queensland are expected to swelter under extreme and severe heatwave conditions, with temperatures soaring across much of the state.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina is approaching north of Darwin today, bringing with it some extreme weather conditions.

Tropical Cyclone Fina has been upgraded to a category two system, and is currently sitting just 40 kilometres north-west of Minjilang in West Arnhem Land.

Tropical Cyclone Fina, currently packing sustained winds of 75 kilometres per hour near its centre, is expected to cause damaging wind gusts and heavy rainfall on the Top End coast today.

The BOM's latest track map shows Tropical Cyclone Fina has been temporarily downgraded to a category one system, but could still intensify to a category three by Saturday afternoon.

Residents along the NT coast are preparing for a rare November cyclone to make landfall on Saturday by cutting down tree branches, stocking up on goods and making decisions about where to bunker down.

Tropical Cyclone Fina, currently packing sustained winds of 95 kilometres per hour near its centre, is expected to turn south towards the Top End coast today.

The system has the potential to make landfall on the Northern Territory coast by Friday.

Tropical Cyclone Fina has intensified into a category two storm off the Northern Territory coast this afternoon, as authorities urge Top End residents to make their emergency cyclone plans ahead of its expected landfall on Saturday.

Severe weather has swept through large parts of the Great Southern and Wheatbelt, causing significant damage to crops during the critical harvest period.