Critical Times

The weather bureau says October in particular was very unusual, with the hottest October day on record, and bushfires followed by severe frosts and even low-level snow.

There were more frosts in November while warm and windy conditions this month made life difficult for firefighters battling blazes in eastern Tasmania.

Senior forecaster Barry Becker said the year also started out strangely.

“It has been an unusual year, weather-wise, across Tasmania,” he said.

“[It] started with near-record high temperatures in January, then in February we saw snow to low levels with some low temperatures recorded and later in the month large hail fell on Bruny Island.”

The final weather statistics for the year will be released next week.