Weather News

Hot Christmas Day on the horizon for Australia

Ben Domensino, Thursday December 19, 2024 - 16:23 AEDT

Christmas Day will be hot and dry for most of Australia this year, with temperatures soaring into the forties in several states and reaching 33 to 35°C in three capital cities.

A lack of monsoon cloud cover in the lead up to Christmas will allow a large and hot air mass to build over the Australian continent during the coming week. This heat will affect a large proportion of Australia over the Christmas period, causing oppressive heat in several states.

The highest temperatures on Christmas Day are expected to occur in WA and SA, where temperatures should reach the mid-forties in some areas. Temperatures will also exceed 40°C in parts of the NT and Qld on December 25 and could reach the high thirties in NSW and Vic.

Image: Forecast maximum temperature on Christmas Day, 2024.

The hottest capital city on Christmas Day will be Adelaide, with current forecasts suggesting a maximum temperature of 35°C.

Darwin and Canberra could also reach the low to mid-thirties, while Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne should all reach about 28 to 29°C

Perth and Hobart won’t be too much cooler, with maximums predicted to reach about 25°C in Perth and 23°C in Hobart.

Image: Christmas Day 2024 forecast for Australia’s capital cities, valid at 4pm AEDT on December 19.

Without much cloud cover over Australia this Christmas, there won’t be too much rain either. A few showers and thunderstorms are expected over the country’s northern tropics and in central Qld, although this won’t be heavy monsoon rainfall. There might also be the odd shower in the south of WA.

With heat and not much rain being a prominent feature on Christmas Day, we could see areas of High fire danger in the country’s west and south.

Tropical cyclone activity is unlikely on Christmas Day this year and southeast Qld is not going to see a repeat of the intense thunderstorms that hit on December 25 last year. Needless to say, there won’t be any snow in Australia this Christmas either.

Keep an eye on the weather in your area this Christmas on our website or the Weatherzone app.

- Weatherzone

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