An unusually miserable first fortnight of summer for Hobart has caught tourists off guard and cost local businesses money, with authorities confirming yesterday was the coldest December day in more than 50 years.
Several tourists arriving on cruise ships said they were expecting warmer weather in mid-December.
"We just wonder — is there summer?" one traveller asked.
"We have to bring winter clothes for summer in Tasmania, we didn't know that."
A man arriving on a cruise ship from Sydney said he was also not prepared for the chill.
"We just had to buy a lot of warmer clothes, we just got some beanies now," he said.
Weather affecting bottom line
Melinda Anderson from Pennicott Wilderness Journeys said it was bad timing for tourism businesses.
"We've been closed all week at Wineglass Bay," she said.
"There's been a number of cruise ships cancelled to the Port Arthur historic site, which means visitors are not getting around that region.
"Cruises [make up] potentially around 130 guests.
"We may have to refund if we can't reschedule."
Ms Anderson said tourism businesses in Tasmania were used to all sorts of weather conditions.
"We operate during the off-season, most of us operate daily and are used to the cold," she said.
"We're really flexible, we try and deliver the best experience regardless of what is happening … and we're certainly a lot better off than other communities on the mainland who have suffered floods and other [extreme weather events]."
'Can't seem to get rid of' cold air
The Bureau of Meteorology said Thursday was the coldest December day in Hobart since 1964, with a maximum of just 11.5 degrees Celsius.
Senior meteorologist Brooke Oakley said cold air from the south had kept temperatures between one and three degrees below average for the month.
"We had a warm weekend at the start of summer, and it's generally been cool ever since then," she said.
"We're in a south to south-easterly airstream that's pulling up some really cold air from south of the state, and we just can't seem to get rid of it.
"There's a low in the Tasman sea and a high to the west, and they're just staying very slow moving."
The first two weeks of December have also been wetter than average for the east and the south-east of the state.
Warmer weather on the way … no, really!
Ms Oakley said the miserable weather was likely to improve, but it was unclear whether that would remain the case for the Christmas period.
"This particular weather is only going to last for another couple of days, and then by next week, the temperatures are going to start to warm," she said.
"We're going to see more settled conditions.
"It is too early to say exactly what weather we can expect over Christmas, but ... on the 18th of December, our official Christmas Day forecast will be released."
