Perfect weather for the beach this Christmas day. Photo: Wolter Peeters

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. 

Sydneysiders can expect a sunny, humid day on December 25 with temperatures of about 28 degrees in the city and 32 degrees in the west, said Weatherzone meteorologist Ben McBurney. 

Start packing up the picnic at about 4pm though, with showers and possibly a thunderstorm expected in the late afternoon. 

"The rain should be over quite quickly, in the space of 20 to 40 minutes," Mr McBurney said. 

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"It should be a good day for families to spend outside."

The outlook is a bit more uncertain for cricket fans, with early showers expected in Melbourne on Boxing Day.

"It should be mostly sunny, but there could be a shower in the morning," Mr McBurney said. "It should clear up before about midday."

If you're looking to the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, the southern capital will be expecting temperatures of about 20 degrees for the start of the Third Test between Australia and India. 

Christmas Day in the Victorian capital will be a bit warmer at a predicted 24 degrees during the day with a cool change in the evening.

"If you had your pick of capital cities though, I think the best city to be in on Christmas would be Perth," said Mr McBurney, with expected temperatures in the low 30s. 

But don't fret if you can't head to the west coast, he said, with "pretty average beach Christmas weather" expected in most cities this yuletide.