What a difference a day makes: temperature plummets in Hobart

After reaching 28.8 °C on Monday, then 32.4 °C on Tuesday, the temperature in Hobart struggled to reach 15 °C before 5 p.m. today (Wednesday), having spent most of the day around 12 or 13 °C. This is still much warmer than the record cold February day when 9.6 °C was the maximum temperature for the 23rd in 1964. The "accounting period" for maximum temperature runs from 9 a.m. one day to 9 a.m. the next, so it is possible that a higher temperature will be observed before the 24 hours is out.

About every second year there is a February day in Hobart that does not get above 15 °C (most recently on the 29th last year). February days that do not get above 14 °C occur on average about once every four years.

Hobart gets an average of about 1.6 days over 30 °C each February, but it is uncommon to have two February days in a row over 30 °C (the last time it happened was in 1995). It was over 30 degrees on both Tuesday (30.2 °C) and Wednesday (36.6 °C) last week.

Yesterday's hot weather was the result of warm air being drawn across Tasmania from the north ahead of a cold front. That front crossed the State overnight, and an associated low generated much cooler southerly winds. Overcast skies during the day prevented the sun's warmth from reaching the ground.

Most of the south and east of Tasmania experienced similar conditions, with temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s yesterday, then the low to mid teens today. In the north and west it was neither so warm on Tuesday nor quite so cool today. Launceston, for example, reached 26.3 °C on Tuesday and 16.0 °C today. Burnie was 22.4 °C yesterday and 16.5 °C today, whilst Strahan was 22.3 °C yesterday and 16.9 °C today.

Hobart can expect more rain tonight (possibly heavy) with a minimum temperature around around 12 °C, but that rain should ease later tomorrow and the maximum temperature should be around 20 °C. For full details (including current warnings) see the forecasts on our web site at www.bom.gov.au/weather/tas/forecasts.shtml.

The highest temperature yesterday (Tuesday) was 33.6 °C in Swansea. Today's highest temperature was 17.2 °C at Wynyard, whilst today's lowest maximum was a chilly 3.9 °C on Mount Wellington. Last night's coldest temperature was 0.3 °C at Liawenee and Mount Wellington; there were patches of snow on the ground at Liawenee this morning.

In Tasmania, hot days are often the result of warm winds ahead of a cold front, so it is not uncommon for days to much cooler after the front moves through. A very sharp fall was recorded in Hobart just last week when the 36.6 °C on Australia Day was followed by 17.8 °C on the the 27th of January (a fall of 18.8 degrees). One of the more memorable temperature drops was in 1967. On Tuesday 7 February 1967, the day of the "Black Tuesday" bushfire disaster, the temperature in Hobart peaked at 39.3 °C; the following day it reached only 15.5 °C, some 23.8 degrees cooler. The biggest drop from one day to the next recorded in Hobart was from the 35.6 °C on 26 December 1907 to just 10.0 °C the following day — a fall of 25.6 degrees.

Further information

Climate Services Section
Tasmania and Antarctica Regional Office
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (03) 6221 2043
Email climate.tas@bom.gov.au

Forecasts and current observations

Regional Forecasting Centre
Phone (03) 6221 2000 (24 hours)
Or on the web at www.bom.gov.au/weather/tas/