A looming heatwave in early 2018 is unlikely to augur an exceptionally hot year for Australia as a weak La Nina in the Pacific will start to tilt the odds to relatively cool and wet conditions for much of the nation.

Sydney's Observatory Hill has witnessed a few storms over the years, and not all of them were meteorological.

Australia is set to round out one of its hottest years on record, leaving fire authorities pinning their hopes a La Nina in the Pacific will bring soaking rains before more heatwaves build through the summer.

Despite Donald Trump's dismissal of the Paris accord, action to address worsening climate threats has gathered pace globally.

• Katherine O'Chee

The Bureau of Meteorology expects Sydney to be "cool and cloudy" on Christmas Day.

Vietnamese media are reporting the typhoon has been downgraded tropical depression and failed to make landfall in the country on Tuesday.

There is already a bee woman and a snake lady in her university course, but Samantha Bayly wants to be known as the ugly animal painter, depicting beasts that only "a mother could love".

A leading Australian inventor of solar technology has died at the age of 60.

• EXCLUSIVE

Only 3 per cent of Australians rate the Turnbull government's response to climate change as "very good."

It's a rainy start to Christmas in Sydney, but the showers are expected to disappear after lunch.

Many farmers are seeking a way out as the country's appetite for dog meat declines.

​Sydney has sweltered through a scorcher but Santa is bringing a change with him for Christmas Day.

Sydneysiders sweltering through a hot and humid day can expect some relief in the early afternoon, when thunderstorms and a cool change are expected to come through.

For nine days, Bud was lost in Tasmania’s rugged Tarkine before he was found safe and well - if a little mangy-looking - and reunited with his owner.

The farmers on the edges of Sydney produce 20 per cent of the city's food needs, but urban development has some questioning their future.

A feasibility study has found Malcolm Turnbull's pet project is viable, however the scheme won't be switched on for at least six years.

Scientists have come up with a theory to explain the strange, extended seasons in Game of Thrones.

A man in his 60s has died after collapsing on the golf course in Sydney's south as NSW swelters through scorching conditions.

Temperatures will top 42 degrees in parts of the city today, with a total fire ban in place.

Wild winds, thunderstorms, heavy rain and giant hailstones could potentially lash the city on Tuesday afternoon during peak hour, with authorities concerned about the possibility of flash flooding.

Sydney will sweat through a scorching day on Wednesday, with parts of the city to exceed 40 degrees as firefighters warn of "very high" fire danger for the region.

Summer in Australia conjures images of long days lounging at the beach, slurping dripping icy-poles, and discovering spiders on the veranda. 

Government proposals for international carbon credit trading have buoyed manufacturing, but may have little impact on cutting energy sector emissions.

Sydneysiders may need to bring a brolly to their Christmas dinner, with clouds and some rain expected across the city late on Christmas Day.

The Berejiklian government proceeded to buy two blocks of land for koala habitat, overriding internal concerns the purchases were "not a priority" as protections were already in place.

At the peak of the ivory boom, in 2010-12, more than 30,000 elephants were slaughtered every year, research showed.

As summer holidays and the beach beckon, the perennial debate of sharks – and what if anything to do about them – inevitably surfaces.

The NSW Planning Assessment Commission has refused consent for a coal mine for Gloucester.

A chance of further storms across Sydney on Friday evening could provide brief respite on what is shaping up to be a humid day.