Hundreds of homes have been evacuated in southern California as heavy rains and wind lash the drought-stricken area.

The state's second east coast low in as many weeks is likely to bring further heavy rains to north-eastern NSW but largely skirt flood-hit areas around Sydney and the Hunter Valley, meteorologists say.

Santa looks set to bring Melburnians a mild and mostly sunny Christmas Day.

"Mate, I lost about 100 heartbeats I reckon in that split second, and got a few more grey hairs."

Slow-moving Typhoon Hagupit has weakened as it churns across the central Philippines islands, easing fears of widespread mass destruction, but officials warn the storm could still bring severe flooding to the low-lying capital Manila.

It's Big Wednesday in Sydney, where large and powerful waves are pounding the coastline and giving surfers a reason to grin.

NSW will likely cop its third buffeting from an east coast low in five weeks but there is some good news.

Canberra hasn't seen any heatwaves this summer, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been a hot one.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of possible flash flooding in the Queanbeyan and Molonglo rivers on Friday.

While the dry,calm, and mostly sunny days are making it seem that summer will never end, its demise is in sight.

Australia's main ski resorts are anxious for a change in the weather, with a lack of recent snow falls limiting their operations just as school holidays loom in NSW and Victoria.

A Kiama drone operator has told of his urgent efforts to raise the alarm after a shark made an unexpected appearance in his video, coming disturbingly close to unaware surfers.

Brisbane is in for a wet start to the week, with storms likely to hit the city on Monday and rain predicted for the following four days.

Sydney's run of unusually cold mornings will extend well into next week as mostly clear skies combine with light winds and a frigid air mass to sink the mercury.

Prepare for hotter days and a worsening drought - a ''substantial'' El Nino event is underway.