It's a good thing Santa works rain, hail or shine - because Australia will weather most of this at Christmas.
Southern parts of the country will swelter through hot celebrations on Friday, but other areas will soak in plenty of rain as a potential cyclone hovers near the Top End.
Regions in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania are facing total fire bans as the mercury climbs above 30C and strong winds whip through.
Hobart is on track to record its second hottest Christmas, with the 33C predicted just short of the record 34.6C set in 1945.
Slightly cooler conditions will grace NSW and Queensland, including showers in many coastal areas and temperatures in the mid to high 20s in the capital cities.
A low-pressure system, which has already brought on huge downpours, is likely to form a cyclone in the Gulf of Carpentaria on Boxing Day.
Bureau of Meteorology modelling shows it should head southeast once it reaches land.
A decent downpour would be a festive miracle for drought-stricken communities in Queensland's parched central west, with the mercury expected to hit 37C in Hughenden on Christmas Day.
"Showers are forecast for early next week, but we need a lot more than that," Flinders Shire Mayor Greg Jones told AAP.
"We're just praying for rain."
Wet weather won't be hard to come by for residents in the Northern Territory's capital.
Friday looks set to be wet, windy and a warm 29C in Darwin with the potential for flash flooding.
Varied conditions are expected across Western Australia, with a near-perfect 27C in Perth, possible thunderstorms in the Kimberley region and scorching temperatures of 46C at Marble Bar in the state's Pilbara region.
Contrasting conditions around the nation mean authorities have been issuing a variety of warnings ahead of Christmas Day, including several total fire bans in the south and flood warnings up north for the Daintree River and coastal catchments north of Townsville.
Cairns Council is offering free sandbags to residents on Friday.
CHRISTMAS DAY IN THE CAPITALS:
ADELAIDE - strong winds, 37C
BRISBANE - afternoon showers and storm likely, 27C
CANBERRA - mostly sunny, 28C
DARWIN - very wet and windy, 29C
HOBART - windy, 33C
MELBOURNE - hot, sunny 35C
PERTH - fine, 27C
SYDNEY - chance of showers, 25C
