Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, sits on the island's southeast coast at the mouth of the Derwent River, backed by Mount Wellington (kunanyi), at approximately 42.88°S, 147.33°E. As Australia's southernmost capital, it has a cool temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — mild, changeable and moderated by the surrounding Southern Ocean — with warm-ish summers, cool winters and four distinct seasons. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, its seasons are reversed relative to the Northern.

Summer, from December to February, is mild to pleasantly warm rather than hot, with January and February the warmest — average highs around 22–23°C — kept moderate by the cool ocean, though hot, dry winds off the mainland can occasionally push temperatures into the high 30s for a day before a cool change arrives. It is among the drier, sunnier and most settled times of year, with long daylight hours.

Winter, from June to August, is cool and changeable rather than severe, with July the coolest month — average highs around 12–13°C and lows near 4–5°C. Frost occurs on clear nights, and while snow is rare in the city, Mount Wellington above it is regularly capped white. The season is often grey and damp, with cold fronts sweeping off the Southern Ocean bringing showers and brisk winds.

Hobart is relatively dry for a cool-temperate city, receiving only around 570–620 mm of rain a year — sheltered in the rain shadow of Tasmania's western mountains, which take the brunt of the Southern Ocean weather — spread fairly evenly through the year with a slight cool-season emphasis. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Hobart's cool, changeable, oceanic climate is often compared to that of coastal northwest Europe, moderated year-round by the surrounding Southern Ocean so that extremes of heat and cold are rare. Its position in the rain shadow of Tasmania's mountains keeps it surprisingly dry compared with the drenched west coast of the island, while Mount Wellington's frequent winter snow cap looms over the mild city below.

To follow any single measurement in Hobart more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.