Overall, Tasmania is colder than most of Australia's other states and territories.
But on a local level, there is a significant variation in winter temperatures across Tasmania.
Where are the coldest locations?
Liawenee, in the state's central highlands, holds the current record for the lowest temperature observed in the state.
On 7 August 2020, the temperature at Liawenee dropped to -14.2 degrees Celsius, more than 1C cooler than the previous state record.
Three sites, also located in the central highlands, share second place for the lowest Tasmanian temperature on record with -13.0C on 30 June 1983 — Tarraleah Village, Butlers Gorge and Shannon Hydro-Electric Corporation (HEC).
Tasmania is Australia's coldest state overall because it is closer to the polar zone compared to the other Australian states and territories, and experiences more frequent bursts of cold Antarctic air.
The coldest nights occur when the conditions are clear and calm, especially if there is snow cover.
Under such conditions, cold dense air drains down slopes, so valley and plateau locations above the snowline have lower extreme minimum temperatures than mountain-top sites.
For example, the record low at kunanyi/Mount Wellington is a relatively modest -8.1C.
The central highlands typically have the lowest temperatures in Tasmania because of their comparatively high elevation, local topography, and distance from the coast.
The Liawenee weather station is 1,057 metres above sea level, higher than the three previous record-holding sites.
Coldest temperatures (up to 31 December 2021)
RANK |
°C |
DATE |
WEATHER STATION NAME |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
-14.2 |
7 August 2020 |
Liawenee |
2 |
-13 |
30 June 1983 | Tarraleah Village |
3 |
-13 |
30 June 1983 |
Butlers Gorge |
4 |
-13 |
30 June 1983 |
Shannon HEC |
5 |
-12.5 |
1 July 1983 |
Butlers Gorge |
6 |
-12.5 |
24 June 1972 |
Bothwell (Franklin Street) |
7 |
-12.2 |
9 July 2013 |
Liawenee |
8 |
-12.2 |
24 June 1972 |
Campbell Town |
9 |
-11.9 |
24 June 1972 |
Palmerston |
10 |
-11.7 |
10 August 2020 |
Liawenee |
10 |
-11.7 |
24 June 1972 |
Oatlands Post Office |
Source: BOM
What causes a significant low-level snow event and how common is it?
For snow to fall at low levels, the air must be much cooler than usual.
The coldest air in the Tasmanian region comes from the south, straight from the Antarctic.
A cold front associated with a low-pressure system, or a trough, moving across Tasmania can transport the super-chilled Antarctic air from the south over the state.
A cold front is the boundary between a relatively cold air mass and a warmer air mass.
Cold fronts slope upwards with height, so they 'wedge' in under the warmer air, lifting it up. If that warmer air is moist, the water vapour condenses to form cloud.
This is why rain often accompanies a cold front. Snow can develop behind the cold front in the coolest air.
Snow falling at low levels on kunanyi/Mount Wellington is not uncommon, impacting roads and residents on the mountain.
It is unusual for snow to settle at sea level.
However, on 15 November 2021, snow fell to sea level across parts of southern Tasmania, settling on the ground down to around 200 metres elevation in suburban Hobart.
It was Hobart's coldest November morning since 1953.
In rare situations, low-level snow can fall further north, although in south-westerly winds, northern Tasmania often remains dry, even if the air is cold enough for snow because moisture is blocked by the mountains.
In August 2020, during the same week that Liawenee set the current record for the lowest temperature in Tasmania, snow settled on the ground at Launceston.
It was the area's most significant snowfall since 1921.
How does Tasmania compare with Antarctica and the rest of the country?
Average minimum temperatures in Tasmania during winter are comparable with temperatures in places like north-east Victoria and south-east New South Wales.
At 1,755 metres above sea level, the weather station at Charlotte Pass (Kosciuszko Chalet) in New South Wales, holds the current record for the lowest temperature observed in Australia, with -23.0C on 29 June 1994.
The Charlotte Pass site is at the bottom of a deep valley and is ideally situated for extreme low temperatures.
Australia's Antarctic territory gets even colder.
The Bureau's weather station at Davis Station on the coast of Antarctica has an average winter minimum temperature of -20.1C.
The lowest temperature on record at Davis is -41.8C, recorded on 27 April 1998.
Temperatures are even lower on the Antarctic plateau. Vostok Station, which is operated by Russia but located within the Australian Antarctic Territory, recorded the world's lowest known temperature, at -89.2C on 21 July 1983.
Changes to Tasmania's temperatures over time
Tasmania has experienced a warming trend in winter temperatures since around 1950.
The ten warmest winters for Tasmania since 1910 all occurred after 1979.
New low-temperature records are still likely to occur in Tasmania in the coming decades, but at a much slower rate than new high-temperature records.
