An intense heat trough over the country’s north-west may bring Australia’s first observation of 50-degree temperatures in 17 years, forecasters say.

The clean-up has begun after a severe hailstorm on Thursday battered parts of NSW, making whole neighbourhoods look like snowfields.

Strong winds expected about parts of southeast New South Wales, including the wider Canberra region ahead of a cold front.

Another good beach day beckons for Sydney but not all stretches of sand are equal after the recent rains raise pollution risks.

If you thought Sydney had been warm over the past year or so, you’d be right.

Canberra has enjoyed a run of beautiful sunshine and light breezy weather this week and those hoping for a clear weekend may be in luck with a forecast of gradual heating over the next five days.

A windswept Canberra is in for a milder and calmer end to the week with above-average temperatures forecast for the weekend.

Sydney weather is tipped to warm for the weekend after a couple of milder days on Thursday and Friday. Peter Hannam reports.

The flow-on effects of Fiji's Tropical Cyclone Winston put a dampener on the last weekend of summer, bringing dangerous surfing conditions and closing many Sydney beaches.

Ongoing record warmth in the world’s oceans has increased the likelihood that 2014 will be declared the hottest year since reliable data began more than a century ago, US and Japanese agencies say.