Hobart reached 31.7 degrees this afternoon, as several weather stations across Tasmania recorded some of their warmest October days in recent years.
Bureau of Meteorology data shows the city’s temperature peaked at 3:19pm and was still 28.1 degrees at 6:50pm.
Campania also reached 31.7 degrees. Dunalley recorded 31.4 degrees, Hobart Airport 31.2 and Bushy Park 31.1.
On the West Coast, Strahan reached 30.7 degrees just after midday.
The bureau’s records show Launceston Airport had its warmest October day in 22 years of records, with the temperature climbing to 28 degrees.
Strahan and Dunalley both recorded their third-warmest October day, Strahan in 38 years of records and Dunalley in 14 years. Launceston had its fourth-warmest October day in 46 years.
Winds were also strong, with gusts reaching 61km/h in Hobart and 80km/h on kunanyi/Mount Wellington.
The bureau has issued a severe heatwave warning for the east coast, with St Helens among the locations likely to be affected.
It has cancelled the warning for the south-east, saying severe heatwave conditions there have dropped below warning thresholds.
The bureau said maximum temperatures in the high 20s to around 30 degrees would peak on Thursday and Friday.
Overnight minimums are expected in the low to mid teens before conditions ease more broadly over the weekend.
Hobart is forecast to reach 30 degrees on Friday, with an 80% chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening.
Saturday is expected to be cooler, with a top of 21 degrees and a 90% chance of rain in the capital.
Further north, Launceston is forecast to reach 26 degrees on Friday and 23 degrees on Saturday as rain increases.
