After strong winds and low-level snow lashed Tasmania on Friday, you’d think that Tasmanians had earned a day off from extreme weather. However, this wasn’t the case as temperatures dropped well below normal levels overnight in many places around the state. 

The bitterly cold winds on Friday meant that maximum temperatures were at least a few degrees colder than average across a large number of locations. Then, when the sun dropped, so did the temperatures. 

Image: Satellite (Himawari-8) imagery with observed temperatures showing cold morning in TAS at 7am EST  

Maatsuyker Island, located just off the southwest coast of Tasmania, recorded a minimum temperature of 2.1 ^oC. The last time the temperature dropped this low in September was back in 2004. Other places that experienced their coldest September temperature in 8 years were: 

• Maria Island (3.0 ^oC) 
• Mount Read (-4.9 ^oC) 
• Tasman Island (0.8 ^oC) 
• Dunalley (2.9 ^oC) 

Furthermore, it was the coldest September temperature in 4 years for: 

• Scotts Peak Dam (-0.1 ^oC) 
• Hartz Mountain (-2.9 ^oC) 
• Luncheon Hill (0.2 ^oC) 
• Kunanyi (-6.3 ^oC) 
• Cape Bruny (2.5 ^oC) 
• Larapuna (2.6 ^oC) 

Generally, temperatures were about 3-6 degrees below average on Saturday morning in Tasmania. With the winds easing, the good news is that Sunday will warm up more than Saturday during the day although the morning might be just as cold.