Hobart weather in December

In December, Hobart sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 58 mm of rain across 9.7 wet days and about 15.1 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 54 min at the start of December to 15 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Hobart's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hobart's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
4th warmest
Overnight low
11°
9th coldest
Rainfall
58 mm
9.7 wet days
Daylight
15 h 06 min
5:32 AM – 8:41 PM
Cloud cover
71%
11th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
6.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Hobart is capital city of Tasmania, Australia.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
188/km²
people per km²
Founded
1803

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month.

A typical December day in Hobart reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 2°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11810
21810
31810
41810
51810
61810
71810
81810
91810
101810
111810
121811
131811
141811
151811
161911
171911
181911
191911
201911
211911
221911
231911
241911
251911
261911
271911
281911
291911
301911
311911

Hobart weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 12°477.814.86.5
Feb20° / 12°447.313.86.4
Mar19° / 11°458.212.46.1
Apr16° / 478.810.95.1
May14° / 449.39.63.9
Jun12° / 468.98.93.0
Jul11° / 4710.59.22.7
Aug12° / 5811.410.23.0
Sep14° / 5311.211.73.7
Oct15° / 5511.313.24.3
Nov17° / 6011.314.55.0
Dec18° / 11°589.715.15.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33070
43070
53070
62971
72971
82971
92971
102872
112872
122773
132773
142674
152674
162674
172575
182674
192674
202674
212773
222872
232971
242971
253070
263268
273268
283268
293466
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Hobart gets around 58 mm of rain over 9.7 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 31% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
436
536
635
734
834
933
1032
1132
1231
1331
1430
1530
1630
1729
1829
1929
2029
2130
2230
2330
2429
2529
2629
2729
2829
2928
3028
3128

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19451
29451
39451
49451
59451
69451
79451
89451
99451
109550
119550
129550
139550
149460
159460
169460
179370
189370
199370
209271
219181
229181
239181
249181
259091
269091
279091
289091
299091
309091
319091

Wind in December

Winds average 13 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 54 min at the start of December to 15 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:33 AM to 5:40 AM, and sunset from 8:28 PM to 8:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.95:338:28
214.95:328:29
315.05:328:30
415.05:328:31
515.05:328:32
615.05:328:33
715.05:328:34
815.15:328:35
915.15:328:36
1015.15:328:37
1115.15:328:38
1215.15:328:38
1315.15:328:39
1415.15:328:40
1515.15:328:41
1615.15:328:41
1715.25:338:42
1815.25:338:42
1915.25:338:43
2015.25:348:44
2115.25:348:44
2215.25:358:45
2315.25:358:45
2415.25:368:45
2515.25:368:46
2615.25:378:46
2715.25:378:47
2815.15:388:47
2915.15:398:47
3015.15:398:47
3115.15:408:47

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.33 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.36 kWh/m² to a high of 6.44 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.33 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.4Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Hobart?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.9
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
2.2
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Hobart for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hobart in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Hobart sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 11°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Hobart in December

The nearest coast averages about 14°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 36 km away) is warmest in February at about 17°C and coldest in September near 12°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°12°14°16°18°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr15Cool
May14Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep12Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec14Bracing

UV index in Hobart in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hobart peaks around December 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highExtremeDec 22UV 11Jun 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb9Very high
Mar7Very high
Apr4Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul1Low
Aug2Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct6High
Nov8Very high
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Hobart?

Hobart sits at 42.9°S, 147.3°E, 19 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Launceston, 161 km away.

BurnieTraralgonWarragulMount MarthaMorningtonLangwarrin

Topography around Hobart

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Hobart.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hobart has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 377 m around an average of 52 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,264 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,405 m.

The land around Hobart is covered by water (37%), artificial surfaces (32%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, trees (48%), water (22%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and trees (46%), water (32%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
377 m
16 km
1,264 m
80 km
1,405 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Launceston 161 km · Devonport 206 km · Burnie 235 km · Traralgon 525 km · Warragul 538 km · Mount Martha 549 km · Mornington 553 km · Langwarrin 555 km

Australia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 90% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$65,130
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
none 38%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 18%other Christian 4%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Hobart (-42.8794°, 147.3294°, elevation 19 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).