Umbrellas or barbecues: Christmas weather forecast gifts mixed bag for Australians | Australia weather
Wildly different weather is expected across Australia for Christmas Day as predictions for Thursday’s celebrations become clearer.
The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted Perth will hit 41°C and Brisbane 35°C, sweltering in the hottest conditions in Australia’s capital cities.
Further south, residents of Melbourne and Hobart may have to break out their winter fleeces with temperatures forecast of 17C and 16C respectively.
“If Melbourne temperatures reach just 17C it will be Melbourne’s coldest Christmas Day since 2006,” senior meteorologist Jonathan How told AAP. “They are pretty extreme on both ends of the country.”
While there is a chance of showers in Melbourne in the morning, wet weather is also expected in Western Tasmania.
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“We could even see light snowfall in the higher elevations on Christmas morning,” How said.
Conditions in Brisbane will be “very muggy” and the city could experience showers or thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Thunderstorms and rain are expected across much of the Northern Territory and the Kimberley region of Western Australia, from the upper Sunshine Coast to Cairns.
Darwin and Cairns are forecast to see maximum temperatures in the low 30s, while the mercury is slated to reach the low to mid-40s in parts of WA’s Pilbara.
Milder weather is forecast for Adelaide; The maximum temperature is expected to be 25°C on Christmas Day and 29°C on Boxing Day.
Sydney and Canberra will also be in the sweet spot with slightly warmer uppers in the mid-20s.
The large variations in daily temperatures are due to a high pressure system circulating over the Great Australian Bight, which is not unusual for this time of year.
“It just depends on timing and unfortunately the coolest day of the week falls on Christmas Day in Victoria and Tasmania,” he said.
“The weather is warming up after that; it will be dry for the Boxing Day test and we will see the sun rise at the MCG in the afternoon.
“The weather for Melbourne and certainly the south-east of the country will start to warm up towards the end of next week.”
Heatwave conditions continue across eastern and north-eastern NSW and southern and south-eastern Queensland on Sunday.
Penrith and Richmond in Sydney’s west were heading towards predicted highs in the low 40s, as were the NSW centers of Newcastle, Tamworth, Moree and Narrabri.
Temperatures in south-east Queensland are expected to peak on Monday or Tuesday.
A total fire ban was declared in five regions of NSW and the Mallee in western Victoria on Sunday.
At the same time, severe storm warnings were issued for eastern and north-eastern Victoria as well as western NSW.
Communities in Mildura, Swan Hill, Euroa, Shepparton, Mansfield, Wangaratta, Corryong and Albury-Wodonga have been told to prepare for heavy rain, destructive winds and possible cyclones. Broken Hill, Menindee and Fowlers Gap were also in the firing line of possible heavy rain, damaging winds and large hailstones.
