Australia Weather News

Here's what you need to know this morning.

Coronavirus risk

Health authorities will screen people arriving at Sydney Airport this morning from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the centre of a deadly outbreak of coronavirus.

A flight from Wuhan is expected to touch down at Sydney Airport today at about 11:00am.

Authorities in the Chinese province of Hubei, where the flight is coming from, have confirmed the death toll from coronavirus there has risen to 17.

Officials in Wuhan have since announced the city's transport networks will will be suspended 10am local time (1pm EDT) today, meaning the airport will be closed.

Woman 'five times over limit'

A woman in Sydney's south has been charged with high-range drink driving with police alleging she returned a reading more than five times the legal limit.

Last night police pulled over a 57-year-old woman driving a ute along Woolooware Road in Burraneer after concerns she had left a nearby liquor store intoxicated.

Police conducted a breath analysis test that showed her blood alcohol reading was 0.279.

Her licence has been suspended and she will face court today.

Alleged kangaroo attack

An 18-year-old man has been charged following an investigation into an alleged act of animal cruelty to a kangaroo in southern NSW.

Police said they were made aware of a social media video, allegedly showing a man punching an injured kangaroo, while those filming cheered and laughed.

The kangaroo later died.

About 4:00pm yesterday a teenager contacted police and was later arrested at Holbrook and charged with animal cruelty.

He was granted bail to appear in court in March.

Fire danger amid high temperatures

Heightened fire danger is expected across NSW today, with total fire bans in place for seven areas.

Authorities have said there will be an elevated fire risk across the state, with temperatures soaring into the 40s in some areas.

There are more than 60 fires burning across the state, with fire bans spanning the Central Ranges, North Western areas, Greater Hunter, the Illawarra, Southern Ranges, Far South Coast and Greater Sydney region.

Greg Allen from the RFS said there was still a fire risk despite the recent rainfall.

Buble joins fire show

Canadian singer Michael Buble and Australian pop band 5 Seconds of Summer have joined the lengthy billing for next month's bushfire benefit concert in Sydney.

Buble will perform in a special live cross from Melbourne where he is performing at Rod Laver Arena that night.

The show, at Stadium Australia on February 16, will be headlined by Queen + Adam Lambert, with other artists including Alice Cooper, Amy Shark, John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John.

A final allocation of tickets will go on sale today at 10am.

More than 65,000 tickets already sold out in under five hours.

Warnings to avoid swimming in Nepean

It might be tempting to cool off in the Nepean River today with temperatures set to reach 41 degrees Celsius, but a Western Sydney water expert is urging people to hit the pool instead. 

Dr Ian Wright from Western Sydney University said it would not be safe to swim in the waterway, after Penrith received 60mm of rain in the past week.

"That will have mobilised pollutants and there's a very high risk that water conditions in the river are contaminated and risky for human health," he said.

"It's a dangerous prospect, but particularly for young people, for old people, for sick people with poor immune systems."