Fire up the barbecue and dust off the sun hats, the mercury is warming up for Christmas Day. So far this month, many parts of Australia have shivered through well below average temperatures, with Perisher Ski Resort recording snow earlier this month. On Christmas Day, Darwin is tipped to be the hottest capital city at 33 degrees, with Hobart the coldest at a mostly sunny 21 degrees. It'll be mostly sunny for many on the east coast with Lismore in for a top of 30 degrees, Sydney 28 degrees and 29 in Bega. Temperatures in the Central West of NSW will vary between 27 degrees (Lithgow) and 31 degrees (Dubbo). Further south, a top of 33 is expected in Wagga Wagga and Albury Wodonga. In Victoria, those keen for a sunny festive celebration can expect a sunny 31 degrees in Bendigo, 26 in Ballarat, 23 in Warrnambool and 31 in Horsham. A sunny top of 30 degrees is expected in Canberra, while those in South Australia are in for a warm day with 26 in Port Lincoln, 35 in Port Augusta and 29 in Whyalla. IN OTHER NEWS Albury Wodonga, NSW/Vic - 33 and sunny Ballarat, Vic - 26C and sunny Beaudesert, Qld - 31C and a possible shower Bega, NSW - 29C and mostly sunny Bendigo, Vic - 31C and sunny Bunbury, WA - 29C and mostly sunny Busselton, WA - 30c with fog then sunshine Dubbo, NSW - 31C and sunny Horsham, Vic - 31C and sunny Katherine, NT - 34C and a possible thunderstorm Lismore, NSW - 30C and mostly sunny Lithgow, NSW - 27C and sunny Port Augusta, SA - 35C and sunny Port Lincoln, SA - 26C and sunny Redland Bay, Qld - 31C and mostly sunny Wagga Wagga, NSW - 33C and sunny Warrnambool, Vic - 23C and mostly sunny Whyalla, SA - 29C and sunny Adelaide - 30C and sunny Brisbane - 31C and partly cloudy Canberra - 30C and sunny Darwin - 33C and possible storms Hobart - 21C and partly cloudy Melbourne - 27C and sunny Perth - 30C and sunny Sydney - 28C and mostly sunny