Australia

It's been a hot end to the working week in Adelaide and the weekend is looking like a scorcher.

A weekend of severe weather over eastern Australia was capped by an amazing waterspout forming over Batemans Bay in New South Wales yesterday.

Residents described it as a "giant twister".  One resident said it got really cold just before they noticed the waterspout.

Reports say it formed around 2pm local time yesterday and lasted about 15 minutes.

It's been a dramatic day for Queenslanders as thunder, lightning strikes and hail have lashed the state.

Strong winds have also pummelled Brisbane's CBD today as authorities warn of severe weather across south-east Queensland again this afternoon.

Severe thunderstorms have impacted the Brisbane, Gold and Sunshine Coasts, Darling Downs and Wide Bay regions.

Across the Tasman it's not looking pretty as we approach the weekend for parts of the Gold Coast and Brisbane as big clouds get set to roll in.

Rain and thunderstorms look like bringing the biggest falls since mid-winter, for some the biggest since autumn.

Between now and Sunday rainfall will generally be in the order of 30-to-50mm with potential for 100mm.

Brisbane has had one of its driest starts to October in years, with no signs of rain on the horizon.

Air Pacific - to be renamed Fiji Airways - last night unveiled its new-look planes due to enter service from next year.

The airline chose Fiji's national day to release details of the Airbus A330 aircraft, the first new planes it has bought.

South Australia will get first taste of a cold, showery, windy burst which will plough through southeastern states in the next few days.

The south of the state will bear the brunt of a strong cold front as it rears up from the Southern Ocean.

Central and northern Australia is experiencing summer-like heat early this year, the earliest in decades for some places.

A long run of sunny days has helped temperatures rise to the low 40s across much of the region, five to 10 degrees above average for this time of year.

Uluru reached 41 degrees on Monday afternoon, the hottest it has been in October in 10 years.

A wintry shot of air is going to affect the South Island for the next few days, especially the Deep South while showers and blustery winds move in to some parts of the North. On Sunday conditions ease then Monday a new low in the Tasman moves in with rain and warm northerlies.

Updated 11:40am -- The V8 Supercars are back at Mt Panorama for 2012 and WeatherWatch.co.nz is again bringing you the latest forecast for one of the toughest motor races on earth.

WeatherWatch.co.nz says Bathurst is famous for extreme weather but today is unlikely to be one of those days.