Within Australia, Tasmania's weather is often the butt of jokes, usually made by people who have never visited the state. Tasmania has a temperate climate, with the average maximum temperature in Hobart varying between 21.9 degrees Celcius (71°F) in January and 11.8°C (53°F) in July. It is rare that the daytime temperature in Hobart will go outside the range of 5-35°C (41-95°F).

This does give Hobart the coldest daytime winter temperatures of any capital city in Australia. However, Hobart also receives less rain than any Australian capital except Adelaide, meaning that winter days in Hobart are more likely to be crisp and blue-skied than overcast and drizzly like ______ (insert name of particular mainland capital here).

The total yearly rainfall in Hobart is 626mm (24.65in) - around half that of cities such as Houston, Washington DC and New York. In fact, many areas of Tasmania are officially drought-affected. Rainfall is generally evenly distributed throughout the year. The most rain falls in spring (171mm, 6.73in) and the least in summer (145mm, 5.71in).

Also see the question What is the highest/longest/deepest....

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Last reviewed 2006-08-05 17:39:54