Hobart Breaks 122-Year Record As Tassie Capital Sweats Through Ungodly 40.8C

As the 2010s come to an ignominious close, it’s a great time to unpack some nostalgia and remember the good things we’ve lost — like a time when Hobart could expect to crawl out of summer without experiencing record-breaking December temperatures.

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The Bureau of Meteorology reports the Tasmanian capital sweltered to 40.8C just before 2pm this afternoon, reaching well above the previous December record of 40.6C.

That record was set in 1897, meaning the last time it even got close to being this hot at this time of the year was 122 bloody years ago.

A total fire ban is in place across the state until tomorrow morning, with residents across the state advised to remain on alert for bushfires.

Thunderstorms are predicted across the region in the afternoon, increasing the potential for blazes in the state. As it stands, Tasmania Fire Service is attending to a blaze at Strathgordon in the state’s south-west, and has warned anyone still in the vicinity that it’s too late to leave.

Speaking to The Hobart Mercury (the paper, not the thermometer), the Bureau’s duty forecaster Matthew Thomas reckoned the searing temperatures were brought about by a high pressure system which has forced a whole lot of hot air from the mainland south across the Bass Strait.

That system also carried smoke from fires in Victoria and New South Wales, covering the city in a worrying haze.

A slight cool change is slated for Hobart in the coming hours, but it will remain uncomfortable until then. Stay safe, folks.

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