Christmas Day weather Sydney Brisbane Melbourne

Christmas Day is forecast to be perfect holiday weather across most of the country, but Aussies are urged to enjoy it while it’s here as the New Year brings a wave of scorching heat.

After a year of record-breaking rains and flooding in 2022, La Nina appears to be on the brink of fading, replaced by hot, dry weather that could lead to a late-summer sting, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

“The pattern is changing,” said senior meteorologist Dean Narramore.

“Much of the country is looking for good stable conditions over the Christmas period with long periods of warm sunny weather,” Narramore told Channel 9.

“It should be sunny and beautiful across South Australia – ‘stunning’ some would say – but we’re going to see how the heat builds up from day one of the Boxing Day test.”

The weather in southeast Australia is expected to improve by Christmas Eve and Christmas Day after a series of thunderstorms passed through Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne on Thursday.

Weatherzone agrees that the cold snap that hit South Australia this week is poised for an abrupt turnaround with “several days of very warm weather spreading across SA, Victoria and Tasmania just after Christmas.”

According to the Bureau’s weather monitor update, La Niña “shows signs of waning in strength” and could disappear entirely by January.

The Bureau also on Wednesday upgraded severe tropical cyclone Darian near Cocos Island in the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia to a Category 5, the earliest Category 5 cyclone in Australian waters since 2009 and a sign of warm ocean temperatures. .

Wind gusts reach 285 km/h, although the system is well off the northwest coast of Australia and will not reach the mainland.

“At Christmas, the wettest part of the country will be the Northern Territory and North Queensland where widespread showers and thunderstorms are expected…pretty typical for this time of year,” Narramore said.

Conditions for this year’s Sydney to Hobart suggest it’s shaping up to be a fast race, with good weather and favorable northerly breezes for the big yachts, but one that could hurt the handicap hopes of those at the smaller end of the fleet. .

The forecast calls for the event to begin with clear easterly to north-easterly winds, with a refresher in north-easterly winds along the New South Wales coast later in the afternoon.

The Christmas Day forecast for Sydney will be mostly sunny with a high of 28C and light winds later in the day, the Bureau said.

Canberra will be warm to hot and sunny with a high of 30C with light to moderate winds.

Melbourne will be sunny with a high of 29C with light to moderate winds.

Adelaide will be sunny with a high of 30°C with light to moderate winds, although the temperature could climb as high as 38°C on Boxing Day.

Western Australia will see a hot Christmas Day, but heatwave conditions earlier in the week should ease.

Perth will be sunny with a high of 30C with some light winds in the afternoon, a relief from the 36C forecast for Friday.

The Northern Territory will see widespread showers and thunderstorms across much of the state on Christmas Day, including Darwin.

Queensland is forecast to see showers and thunderstorms inland and across the tropical north, while residents in the southeast of the state will experience a cloudy but warm and mostly dry Christmas Day.

Brisbane will be partly cloudy with a high of 31C and possible rain.

Tasmania will be mostly cool with increasing cloudiness and showers, particularly in the western and southern parts of the state. Hobart will be partly cloudy with possible late showers and light to moderate winds with a high of 21C.