Tasmania is having a spring-like day, with Hobart hitting 21ºC and thunderstorms building over the state.
Northerly winds are carrying warm and relatively humid air over Tasmania today ahead of an approaching cold front.
Amid this pre-frontal northerly flow, Hobart reached 20ºC shortly after 1pm and hit 21ºC just after 2pm. While this isn’t exceptionally warm by spring or summer standards, it is only the 18th time the city has reached 21ºC during winter since records began in 1882. This is around 8ºC above Hobart’s long-term August average maximum temperature of 13.1ºC.
Surprisingly, Hobart’s maximum temperature on Monday is about 3ºC higher than Melbourne’s due to cloud and thunderstorms passing over Victoria.
Some of these storms will spread over parts of Tasmania on Monday afternoon and evening, with lightning possible around Hobart. The map below shows thunderstorms beginning to move over northwest Tasmania early on Monday afternoon.
The cold front will pass over Tasmania on Tuesday, reaching Hobart in the afternoon, dropping temperatures by around 4 to 6ºC. Hobart only forecast to reach about 15ºC on Tuesday and will feel much cooler than this after the front passes over the city.
Cooler conditions will stick around for the rest of the week, with potential for low-level snow on the as stronger cold fronts sweep over the state between Thursday and Saturday.
Further north, Sydney is forecast to hit around 24-25ºC on Tuesday ahead of this cold front. This is around 5-6ºC above August’s average maximum temperature.
This spring-like warmth will be short lived with the cold front arriving in Sydney Tuesday night, with temperatures dropping to the high teens or low twenties. For more information about Weatherzone’s energy and temperature forecasts, please contact us at apac.sales@dtn.com.