Heavy snow has fallen overnight in Tasmania as a bitterly cold polar airmass sweeps across the state, with showers and snow showers continuing across much of Tasmania on Tuesday morning.

Cool air associated with this system is also impacting the southeast corner of the mainland, but by far the most severe wintry conditions are being experienced in our southernmost state, where the snow level is forecast to be as low as 400 metres above sea level at times during Tuesday.

This was the early morning view of kunanyi/Mt Wellington looking across the Derwent from the beach at Bellerive in Hobart.

Image: Kunanyi/Mt Wellington from Bellerive, Hobart, early on the morning of Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Source: Jo Cleveland (@mycloverdog on Instagram).

Faint tracks made by a skier or snowboarder were visible beside the (closed) ski tow at Mt Mawson, a club-run, non-commercial ski area about two hours northwest of Hobart on Tuesday morning, where the temperature was still below zero just before 9 am.

Image: The main ski tow at Mt Mawson, Tas, just before 9 am (AEDT) on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Source: Mt Mawson.

Tuesday morning's Tasmanian temperature observations

• The lowest recorded minimum in Tasmania overnight was -4.2°C near the 1271-metre summit of kunanyi/Mt Wellington above Hobart.
• At 9:30 am, it was still a frigid -4.0°C on kunanyi/Mt Wellington, with an apparent or "feels like" temperature of -10.2°C.
• The tiny Central Highlands town of Liawenee (elevation 1057m) was -1.1°C at 10 am, with a brutally chilly apparent or "feels like" temperature of -11.1°C.
• Even downtown Hobart was struggling to warm up as the morning progressed, with a temperature of 5.9°C at 9:30 am and an apparent temperature of just 0.8°C.

Why is it so cold in Tasmania today?

Image: Forecast maximums across SE Australia on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, according to the ECMWF model. Source: Weatherzone.

The map of Tuesday's forecast temperatures across southeastern Australia (above) shows a clear delineation between the hot air that caused Monday maximums above 35°C in large parts of New South Wales (and which is still lingering up north) and the cooler air mass down south.

The sharp temperature contrast is due to a strong cold front whipping across Tasmania, driven by a low pressure system centred over waters well south of the state.

The loop below shows Tasmania being impacted by the classic speckled cloud pattern associated with outbreaks of air with Antarctic origins.

Image: Combined satellite and radar loop for SE Australia for the four hours to 10:30 am (AEDT) on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Source: Weatherzone.

Despite the intense cold, the effects of this system will be relatively short-lived.

While Hobart's maximums will remain in the mid-teens for a couple of days after Tuesday's chilly expected high of 13°C, maximums in the mid-20s are already looking likely for both days this coming weekend.

Enough cold air has reached southern Victoria to give Melbourne two days with chilly October maximums in the mid-teens, but the mercury should also hit the mid-20s in the Victorian capital both days this weekend.