Tasmania has a mostly temperate maritime climate. A prevailing westerly airstream leads to a marked variation of cloudiness, rainfall and temperature. Consequently, the West Coast and highlands are generally cool, wet and cloudy, while the East Coast and lowlands are milder, drier and sunnier.
Summers are mild, with any hot periods rarely lasting more than a few days. Rainfall is generally lower (in both amount and frequency) in summer, most notably in the west and north-west. Afternoon sea breezes are common along the coasts.
Winters are not excessively cold, especially compared to places at similar latitudes in the northern hemisphere that do not have the sea’s moderating influence. Westerly winds with embedded cold fronts often cross the state, and these can bring ‘cold outbreaks’ and snow to low levels. Every so often, winds will be light, the skies clear and the mornings cold and frosty.
ANNUAL CLIMATIC AVERAGES, Selected Tasmanian Stations(a)
|
 | Mean daily
maximum
air temperature | Mean daily
minimum
air temperature | Mean annual
rainfall | Mean daily
hours bright
sunshine |
|
| Station | oC | oC | mm | hours |
|
| Bicheno | 17.7 | 9.4 | 662 | 6.2 |
| Burnie | 17.1 | 9.6 | 966 | na |
| Currie Post Office | 16.8 | 10.6 | 875 | na |
| Devonport East | 16.8 | 8.1 | 892 | na |
| Flinders Island Airport | 17.7 | 9.8 | 734 | 6.4 |
| Forthside Research Station | 16.2 | 7.5 | 987 | 6.4 |
| Hobart (Ellerslie Rd) | 17.2 | 8.8 | 576 | 6.1 |
| Hobart Airport | 17.5 | 8.2 | 495 | 6.3 |
| Lake Leake (Elizabeth River) | 13.7 | 3.9 | 795 | 5.8 |
| Launceston (Ti Tree Bend) | 18.3 | 7.1 | 677 | na |
| Launceston Airport | 17.1 | 6.2 | 635 | 6.9 |
| Liawenee | 12.2 | 1.6 | 1,056 | 6.6 |
| Scottsdale | 17.8 | 7.3 | 1,028 | 6.6 |
| Strathgordon | 14.0 | 6.2 | 2,492 | 4.0 |
| Swansea | 18.0 | 7.8 | 547 | 6.1 |
na not available
(a) Averages are based on all available data from the 30-year period spanning 1971-2000.
Source: Bureau of Meteorology, http://www.bom.gov.au |
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