Drought, bushfires and a widespread heatwave are standout features leading up to Christmas in Australia this year. So, what will the weather be like on the big day?

A large mass of hot air that's spreading over Australia this week will still be affecting some parts of the country on Christmas Day.

While temperatures on December 25th aren't likely to replicate this week's near 50-degree heat, large areas of central and western Australia will be notably hot, even for late December.

Temperatures are a good chance of reaching the mid forties in parts of the red centre on Christmas Day. If Alice Springs exceeds 42.8 degrees it will be their hottest Christmas in 114 years. If it gets above 44 degrees, this will be the hottest Christmas on record in Alice Springs, with data available back to 1878.

Perth is likely to be the hottest capital in the country this year, possibly climbing to the mid-to-high thirties under mostly sunny skies. The city is unlikely to challenge its highest Christmas temperature on record, which was 42.0 degrees in 1968.

Darwin is unlikely to see any monsoonal rain on Christmas Day, although showers and thunderstorms are possible. The temperature is almost guaranteed to top out around the 35 degree mark.

There are signs that showers and thunderstorms could also affect parts of eastern Australia on Christmas Day, although the location of this activity will depend on the position of a low pressure trough. At this stage, Sydney should reach the mid to high twenties and Brisbane could climb into the low thirties. Dry weather can't be guaranteed for either city.

Drier weather is likely for southern Australia on Christmas Day, with Melbourne and Adelaide expected to see tops in the high twenties or low thirties and Canberra the low-to-mid thirties.

Tasmania is unlikely to see a repeat of the snowy Christmas in 2006, when locals flocked to Mount Wellington to experience a rare Australian white Christmas. Hobart is expected to reach the mid twenties and should stay dry.

Unfortunately, many rural areas in Australia will be suffering from drought this Christmas and bushfires are guaranteed to be burning around the country. Be sure to keep up to date with the latest weather warnings and bushfire advisories during the holiday period.

The forecasts in this article may change during the leadup to Christmas. You can find the latest Christmas Day forecasts at the bottom of the Weatherzone website homepage.