Christmas Day weather: Big changes expected to sweep across much of Australia
Here's exactly what to expect in your state on Christmas Day, according to the weather experts.
Storms are expected to sweep across large parts of Australia on Christmas Day after much of the nation sizzles in the lead-up to the highly anticipated holiday week.
With Christmas now less than a week away, meteorologists have released their forecast for the big day, with almost every capital city expected to see showers at some stage.
Across the country today however, the outlook is a different story, with scorching temperatures over 30 degrees expected in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Darwin and Perth.
Heatwave surges in the lead-up to Christmas
A heatwave warning remains is in place on Tuesday for parts of NSW and the ACT, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and Queensland — which is still being hammered by wild weather in the wake of Cyclone Jasper.
Sydney's metropolitan area can expect highs of 34 degrees today with the chance of showers, with temperatures reaching up to 38 in the west — some 10 degrees above the average. It'll be much the same in Brisbane and the Gold Coast today, with highs of 29 forecast.
Further south, it'll be a cool 17 degrees today with scattered showers and a low of 13 in Melbourne. Canberra will hit 31 degrees, in Adelaide, it'll be 19 degrees and in Perth it's set to be 31 today with strong winds.
Mixed bag of weather for Christmas Day in Australia
Looking forward, forecasters at the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), say "a stormy Christmas Day is possible for much of eastern Australia", but some "fine weather is forecast across other states and territories".
In NSW, an onshore winds will see partly or mostly cloudy conditions along much of the coast— including Sydney — with "some showers" likely and storms possible.
Afternoon showers and thunderstorms will sweep through central and northern Queensland, with southeastern parts of the state, including Brisbane likely to avoid the highest chance of storms.
Hobart and Melbourne will both each receive southeasterly winds, bringing areas of cloud and cooler-than-average temperatures. "Showers remain possible, especially in the morning, but hopefully clearing to brighter and drier conditions in the afternoon," the BoM said.
Adelaide residents will enjoy a sunny Christmas Day, but an early southeast wind might mean a cool and cloudy start on the day. "A low-pressure system is brewing" for inland WA, which right now looks to be "sufficiently far away from Perth" — although some showers and storms "over the interior look likely".
"The Northern Territory can expect some seasonal afternoon showers and storms around Darwin, although the risk of any Christmas impacts due to the remnants of ex-topical Cyclone Jasper look very unlikely," the BOM said.
Christmas Day forecasts for each capital city
Sydney: Cloudy, southerly winds with a high chance of showers, storms possible. Lows of 19 degrees and highs of 26.
Melbourne: Cool and cloudy, with the chance of a shower. Southerlies blowing up to 30 km/h. A minimum of 15 degrees with temps not expected to exceed 21.
Canberra: Partly cloudy, with a medium chance of showers. Lows of 13 and a high of 24.
Brisbane: Partly cloudy, with a high chance of showers and the chance of a thunderstorm. A minimum of 22 and a maximum of 32.
Perth: Partly cloudy, northeasterlies of 15 to 20km/h. A minimum of 21 is expected with a top temperature of 32.
Adelaide: Partly cloudy, southeasterlies up to 30km/h. A minimum of 13 degrees and maximum of 24 degrees.
Hobart: Cool and cloudy, with the chance of a shower. A minimum temperature of 11 and a maximum of only 18 degrees
Darwin: Partly cloudy, with a chance of afternoon showers or a thunderstorm. A minimum of 28 and a maximum of 36.
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