Fires breached containment lines in two NSW locations on Sunday morning as temperatures climbed above 35 degrees in parts of the state and Sydney.

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

A car reportedly crashed into a fallen tree on Streeton Drive. 

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Wednesday night may be on the cool side for Queensland visitors to the opening State of Origin match at Homebush but the overall conditions could hardly be better for football.

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

Sydney may be scorching right now, but be warned - the worst is yet to come.

The remarkable global heat for 2015 is not yet over and already forecasters are predicting next year will be hotter again - marking three years in a row of record annual warmth.

Going to Sea World isn't a walk in the park for the animals kept in captivity, say campaigners.

The trough that brought a series of storms to Canberra on Saturday is expected to affect the region until Monday.