An extreme heatwave is set to hit part of Australia at the weekend after weeks of heavy rain and gales struck NSW coastal regions.
A front will bring high winds and showers to Tasmania and into southern Victoria, and a few showers into the southeast.
This will bring cooler waters than normal in the central and eastern tropical Pacific near South America, while warmer waters build up across the western Pacific near northern Australia, contributing to tropical cyclone formation.
Areas with small to serious heatwaves are also forecast for south-eastern WA, the NT, western Queensland and Cape York up to the west and north-east of South Africa.
Top temperatures are expected to exceed the median during the northern half of Australia and should extend across WA in the next 16 days.
WA and Victoria are all set to swelter on Christmas Day as Perth and Melbourne temperatures may reach the low-30s or highs above the 30s in north-west Victoria.
