Cold snap a record

From Miena, across the partly frozen Great Lake at Swan Bay. looking towards Liawenee. -

Early sunlight glows on the snow-dusted Mount Wellington behind Hobart this morning. - ABC

Residents in Tasmania's Central Highlands are waking to a super cold snap.

The Weather Bureau's Brendan McMahon says Liawenee's temperature at six o'clock this morning was -9.6 degrees, the coldest July temperature since a weather station started operating there in 2001.

Inland Fisheries officer, Phil Potter, who is at Miena, near Liawenee, this morning says the coldest day he has experienced in the region was 25 years ago when it reached -14 degrees.

Mr Potter says it is still a very cold start to the day.

"Yeah, the windows are fogged up inside the house in a couple of the rooms, so that gets a bit icy at times but you know it'll be ok," he said.

"We'll just take it easy, got to go to work, got to go to Lake Leake today and take some fish down there so it'll be tippy-toeing on the road."

The previous record at Liawenee was -8.6 degrees in July 2003.

In the state's south, ice is affecting roads south of Hobart.

They include the Huon Highway at 'Vinces Saddle' near Longley and at Grove near Huonville.

The Channel Highway is also affected and there are reports of ice on Main Road at Cygnet.

- ABC

© ABC 2008

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