Lunchtime barbecues and beach plans on Christmas Day are looking good to go ahead, with sunshine and warm temperatures expected to hold out until the late afternoon. 

After a year of driving global temperatures to unprecedented warmth, the giant El Nino weather event in the Pacific is officially over, raising hopes that drought-hit regions may be in for some relief in Australia and elsewhere.

Storms hit the Sydney region, bringing hail and damaging winds.

Forecasters predict heavy rain, strong winds and increasing swells.

If you woke to the sound of thunder early this morning be prepared for it to continue throughout the day.

Antonio Guterres says the “naive optimism” of the Glasgow talks is colliding with a failure to deal with climate, as scientists grapple with global heat waves.

What weather will Santa deliver for Christmas Day?

This weekend is set to be another warm, muggy one - and next weekend may be much the same.

A "strangely warm southerly" is sweeping across Sydney today with little relief from the heat at beaches in NSW and Queensland because of Cyclone Winston causing large, dangerous and powerful surf.

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

South-east Queensland is mopping up after being battered by a line of intense thunderstorms that cut power to more than 27,000 homes and businesses.

Parts of Canberra have received more than the city's June average rainfall in less than two days with more rain on the way.

Gusty winds buffeted parts of Sydney late on Tuesday as a band of dry thunderstorms moved across parts of eastern NSW.

Canberrans will face one of the worst fire danger days of the bushfire season on Tuesday as the temperature soars past 30 degrees amid dry, windy conditions.

A high-pressure system "as big as Australia" will bring Melbourne's warmest patch of weather in more than five months, while most of the country is likely to go for a week with little rain.

Melbourne is bracing for flooding as a huge storm moves across the state, with falls of 50 milimetres in the city's north-east suburbs likely on Saturday morning.

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

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

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.

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