Weather in Hobart in January

Prime time. January is about as good as Hobart gets. Highs average 21.9 °C, lows 12.7 °C, and rain falls on 8 days — nothing in the month is working against you.

January is the highest-scoring month of the twelve. The nearest rival is February, and the month at the other end of the year is August.

Rain on 8 days, 1 of them heavy. Enough to need a plan B, not enough to need a plan around it. Nothing specialised needed — this is the month you pack for the trip rather than for the weather.

What the averages hide

The averages here are honest — no hidden extremes worth planning around. Across the twenty years measured, the hottest January day reached 35.3 °C and the coldest night fell to 8.1 °C, and the wettest single day dropped 57 mm — roughly 102% of the month's rain in one day.

January is moderately variable: 9 mm in the driest year against 135 mm in the wettest, around an average of 56 mm. Roughly two Januarys in three land near that average, and the third does something else entirely.

Wind is light at 15.2 km/h, so the temperature on the page is close to the temperature on your skin, and humidity is unremarkable at 68%.

How January sits in the year

Temperatures hold steady either side: 19.8 °C in December, 21.9 here, 21.5 in February. Nothing about the timing within the month matters much.

Daylight in January

January is at or near the longest days of Hobart's year: 15 hours of daylight, losing 0.8 hours across the month. Evenings are the real gain — dinner outdoors still happens in full light.

Sea temperature

The sea sits at about 15.9 °C in January — cold — a quick dip rather than a swim, and a wetsuit if you are in for longer. This is the warmest the water gets all year.

How busy it gets

Peak season. Expect the highest prices of the year and to be booking well ahead. If the dates are flexible, April is the trade worth considering — 12 points weaker on weather, and materially quieter.

Crowd levels are estimated from climate desirability and school-holiday calendars, not from visitor numbers.

January in Hobart versus nearby

If Hobart is one option among several, the nearby comparison is worth making. Launceston is close enough to be a coin toss — 4 °C warmer, 2 days less rain. Devonport is close enough to be a coin toss — 2.4 °C cooler, 2 days less rain.

So: January is the answer for Hobart. If it is booked out or priced out, February is the next best thing at 0 points behind, and August is the month to keep off the shortlist.

Every month in Hobart

See all twelve months in Hobart, or where else to go in January.