Hobart has recorded its hottest May day in 144 years of records, exceeding the old record of 25.7°C by well over a degree, on a day when May heat records were broken in four states.

By far the most May heat records were broken in Tasmanian and Victoria this Friday, May 1, 2026, with South Australia and New South Wales also chiming in with a smattering of record highs.

Tasmanian May heat records broken

• At 3:02pm Hobart hit 26.9°C. That was more than 12 degrees above the Tasmanian capital’s average May maximum of 14.6°C.
• Tasmania’s second city also broke records, with a reading of 24.3°C at 1:38pm at Launceston’s Ti Tree Bend weather station. The previous May record was 22.9°C.

Overall, at least 20 Tasmanian weather stations in 10 of the state’s 11 official BoM forecast districts broke May records for either maximum or minimum temperatures this Friday.

One of the more remarkable readings was at the tiny Central Plateau town of Liawenee, which is famous for its frigid overnight temperatures. Indeed, it holds the record for the state’s coldest recorded temperature of -14.2°C.

Last night, Liawenee only dipped to 9.9°C. Its previous warmest May minimum was 9.0°C.

Image: Maximum temperature map for SE Australia for Friday, May 1, 2026, showing an unusually large extent of yellow and orange (maximums in the mid-to-high 20s or even low 30s) for late autumn. Source: Weatherzone.

Victorian May heat records broken

At least 20 Victorian weather stations have also registered heat records for May this Friday, including:

• Avalon on Melbourne’s western outskirts hit 29.3°C at 1:02pm. The old record was 28.0°C.
• The southwest Victorian city of Warrnambool reached 28.3°C at 1:23pm. The old May record was 27.9°C.
• Several weather stations within the Melbourne metropolitan area broke records, including Moorabbin Airport, with 28.1°C at 2:37pm. The old record was 27.4°C.

South Australian May heat records broken

Adelaide reached 29.4°C at 1:10pm (ACST) but several suburbs and localities in and around the city cracked the 30-degree mark, including Parafield with 30.9°C.

While none of the Adelaide area readings were records, new day-time highs were set in at least five SA locations, while minimum temperature records were also broken.

Mt Lofty, overlooking Adelaide, had its warmest May night on record with a mild low of 17.6°C.

New South Wales May heat records broken

May heat records in NSW were confined to the Lower Western and Riverina forecast districts in the southwest of the state. They included:

• Deniliquin reached 28.5°C (old record 28.0°C).
• Hay reached 29.2°C (old record 29.1°C).
• Ivanhoe hit 29.5°C (old record 29.1°C).

What’s causing this record-breaking May heat?

Image: Synoptic chart for Friday, May 1, 2026, showing air circulating anti-clockwise around the large high pressure system centred over waters east of New Zealand. Source: Weatherzone.

Warm northwesterly winds ahead of an approaching cold front in the Great Australian Bight have pushed air all the way from Australia’s interior to the southeast corner of the continent.

This is a pattern more typical of summer than late autumn. In set-ups like this, temperatures often tend to be just as warm on Victoria’s southern coastline (assuming no strong sea breeze) as in the state’s north.

That’s why, at 2:10pm, the main Melbourne weather station at Olympic Park (26.2°C) was almost exactly the same temperature as Mildura (26.4°C) in northwest Vic.

How long will this warmth last?

It’s not done yet. Hobart, Adelaide and Melbourne (and plenty of places in between) can all expect another day with highs well into the 20s on Saturday.

As the cold front approaches, cooler weather with showers will affect much of the southeast, and there’s the likelihood of a second, much more wintry outbreak just after midweek next week, with an early Thursday forecast high of just 14°C for Melbourne.

*The temperatures mentioned in this story are not yet the official maximums for Friday at the time of publication.