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. 

Unseasonal rains across central Australia are helping to fill Lake Eyre and are providing some unusual recreational activities for residents of Alice Springs.

More thunderstorms expected in the territory this week before a drenching of up 100 millimetres of rain.

Sydneysiders are again being hammered by thunderstorms as the latest storm cells bring rain and strong wind gusts to the city.

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

Forecasters predict heavy rain, strong winds and increasing swells.

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

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. 

Sydney is in for another wet and windy day on Friday as the clean-up continues after destructive storms tore through the city, felling large trees and powerlines, crushing cars and cutting power to thousands of homes on Thursday afternoon.

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

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

What weather will Santa deliver for Christmas Day?

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.

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