Weather

It is just a few sleeps until Christmas Day, and the weather is promising a mixed bag for Australia's capital cities. Here is what to expect. 

The weather bureau is forecasting heavy rainfall and thunderstorms for large parts of the state over the Christmas week, but temperatures are expected to ease.

Perth is expected to hit a high of 41 degrees on Christmas Day with the Cocos (Keeling) Islands bracing for a tropical cyclone that could intensify to a category two system.

Victorians faced intense rainfall, damaging winds and large hailstones after severe storms swept across parts of the state. Emergency services called on road users to drive carefully in dangerous conditions.

Australia is experiencing a smorgasbord of wild weather in the lead-up to Christmas, featuring extreme heat, humidity, severe thunderstorms, and tropical storms all on the cards.

Some forecasts will tell you the weather 28 days from now. But is it accurate?

Storms and heavy rain are forecast to again hit large parts of Queensland today, with temperatures dropping across much of the sunshine state. 

With only nine more sleeps until Christmas, we have now entered the meteorological window of predictability — in other words, forecasts are more accurate than just guessing the weather.

Parts of south-east Queensland can expect a slight easing of summer heat early this week, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a 6C drop in some areas. 

Perth is in the grip of its hottest spell so far this summer, forcing the closure of a popular tourist attraction as abalone fishing season got underway. 

Just days into summer, Tasmania is battling bushfires and their presence can be linked back to a rare spike in temperatures above Antarctica back in September.

The most widespread rain in three months will develop across New South Wales during the coming days, reducing the threat of bushfires in the lead-up to Christmas.

NSW Premier Chris Minns says it has been a "difficult 24 hours", with more than 20 fires still uncontained across the state. 

There are several fires in New South Wales as the state battles incoming lightning, forecast for Saturday evening. 

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.

A broad heatwave is expected to spread across Australia, with short and sharp bursts of heat throughout the southern states.

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.

More than 1,300 people are dead and 1.2 million displaced following devastating flooding and landslides in South-East Asia.

Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka are reeling from flooding that has killed hundreds in each country and destroyed communities.

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.