Hobart (Tasmania) weather in May
May in Hobart: cool, a little rain, with clean air — a great time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#10 of 12 months in Hobart · #974 of 1413 destinations to visit in May · comfort 73/100 (tier B)
- Days
- 16°C
- Nights
- 8°C
- Wet days
- 9
- Sun
- 6.5 h
- Humidity
- 78%
- Daylight
- 10 h

Traveller notes on Hobart in May
Other months in Hobart
Regulars are direct that Tasmania's famous weather variability is genuinely lived experience here, temperatures swinging from a warm 32.5C one day to as low as 13C the next within the same trip, no reliable pattern to plan around. Our row backs that mild, still-showery average sitting between those extremes, 19.9C over 10.4C nights feeling 8C, with 55.6mm of rain across 8.5 days and humidity at 70 percent. Regulars are consistent brief rain showers are the norm rather than heavy downpours, cloudy skies more common than sunny ones despite the reasonable average temperature. Layers and a proper waterproof shell remain the standard packing advice regardless of the forecast on arrival. The sea sits at a cool 15.5C. The record: 10.8 hours of sun, a 19.2 kph wind and one of the cleanest air readings in this project, AQI 22.
Hobart-forum threads on early December weather describe genuinely pleasant, mild-to-warm days as the norm, but posters are consistent this is still Tasmania, where a chilly, windy afternoon can follow a warm morning with little notice even at the height of summer. One visitor logged a surprising 31C day with barely any humidity, well above the seasonal average, underscoring how variable the month can run year to year. Nights stay genuinely cool regardless of how warm the day got, and a light jacket or spray shell is standing advice for evenings on the waterfront. Kunanyi/Mount Wellington above the city can hold a dusting on its upper slopes even into early summer some years, a real contrast to the mild town below. Regulars call December a great value month, before the peak summer crowds arrive. The record: 21.7C days feeling like 20C, 12C nights, a 17.1C sea, 67 percent humidity and 11.8 hours of sun.
Tasmania-forum threads on October weather split sharply: one visitor calls it the worst month of the year, grey skies, driving rain, sleet and high wind cycling through in a single day, while another calls the same month great, mild and with longer daylight than the depths of winter. Both camps agree spring blossoms are in full bloom regardless of which version of the sky shows up. September and October together are singled out as genuinely windy and blustery months, worth factoring into any outdoor plans along the waterfront or up on the mountain. The standing advice repeated across every thread is to pack for all four seasons in a single day, since Tasmania's weather is called capable of delivering sun, rain and cold within the same afternoon. The record: 18.1C days feeling like 16C, 8.7C nights, 64mm across 11 days, a 13.1C sea, 71 percent humidity and 9.9 hours of sun.
March is the month Tasmania's summer wanes. Regulars describe high teens to low twenties cooling through the month - our row gives 21.7C days over 12.3C nights - and the feeling as a bit of crispness in the air rather than actual cold. February into mid-March is the stretch they name for warm patches, and March, April and sometimes early May can deliver a late Indian summer that is more settled than midsummer. For autumn colour, Mount Field National Park outside Hobart is where Australia's native deciduous tree turns, though that is an April and May event. The record: 7.6 precipitation days carrying 39.2mm, 8.8 hours of sun, a 17.7C sea and AQI 18, the cleanest air in this round.
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Hobart climate normals — May
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Hobart in May
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Quietone of its worst months for weather(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Hobart's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Toughest weatherHobart's weather peaks January–March.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Hobart in May
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Nature
Aurora australis
1 Mar – 30 Sep · usuallyTasmania faces the pole, so a strong geomagnetic storm shows from the south-facing beaches below the city. The long dark nights and the weeks around the equinoxes are the usual chance.
- Season
Snow on kunanyi
15 May – 15 Oct · usuallyClosuresThe mountain above the city takes snow several times a winter and the summit road gates shut when it does. It usually clears by afternoon, and half of Hobart drives up to stand in it.
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Hobart — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Hobart?
Hobart in May — FAQ
- Is May a good time to visit Hobart?
- May in Hobart: cool, a little rain, with clean air — a great time to visit. It ranks #10 of 12 months for Hobart on SeasonMap's comfort score (73/100).
- What is the weather like in Hobart in May?
- In May, Hobart averages a daily high of 15.8°C and a low of 7.9°C, with about 58.2 mm of rain over roughly 9.2 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Hobart in May?
- Hobart has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 22 in May.
Within 300 km: Cradle Mountain's The turning of the fagus around 15 Apr – 15 May.