Shorts in winter? OK for some, but when the chill really hits, long pants are the go

Australia Broadcast Center

22-05-2025

The great Tasmanian sport of spotting short wearers in winter is fast approaching.
Who hasn't shivered in horror when seeing someone baring their legs during the colder months?
The Bureau of Meteorology's Luke Johnston (a self-confessed shorts-in-winter wearer) says many Tasmanians are acclimatised to the chilly conditions — but cautions that rugging up for colder extremes is a survival essential.
Mr Johnston said he does get "some strange looks at times when I have my shorts on during winter", but that it "does make meteorological sense at times".
"The average maximum temperature in Hobart for most of winter is around 12 degrees, but it is not uncommon to see days reaching 17 or 18 degrees. Temperatures in Launceston are often a little cooler in winter."
He said it can "be easy to look at the weather forecast and see a number in the low teens, or even high single digits for the maximum temperature" and think that it's going to feel cold.
"But Tasmanians are quite familiar with perhaps a more important predictor of how a winter day is going to feel: the wind.
"In cooler months, wind chill is a significant factor in what a temperature might feel like. Lots of wind on a 10-degree day will feel really chilly, perhaps more like 2 degrees, but no wind on a 10-degree day out in the sun, it can feel more like 18," he explained.
Mr Johnston said another question people ask is "why is it common to see shorts teamed with a puffer jacket around Tasmania?"
Picture this: it's near zero degrees outside in the morning, and you know it's going to warm up to around 10 degrees this afternoon, with light winds and plenty of sun.
If you wear lots of warm clothing in the morning, then pretty soon as the temperature rises, you're going to start feeling too warm and want to shed layers.
"As long as you keep your torso warm and your legs moving, you'll feel warm, with the bonus of being able to unzip the jacket when you start to feel hot to let in some fresh air," Mr Johnston said.
"It's the perfect combination for a lot of winter, because we can and do see days in the high teens or even sometimes touching around 20 degrees.
If you're somewhere sheltered from the wind and in the sun on one of those 20C days, suddenly it's going to feel the equivalent of mid to high 20s for an acclimatised Tasmanian, he said.
"My personal rule of thumb: I plan to wear shorts on any day over 16 degrees, if appropriate. Below that temperature, then I check what the winds are doing.
Luke Johnston said there were times and places where it was essential to rug up and wear warmer clothing.
"There are situations where you would definitely want to be wearing more to stay safe, such as if you're somewhere exposed to conditions, walking though snow, or somewhere experiencing high winds on a cold day," he said.
"You might even need to go to the extreme of wearing gloves."
He said people should "follow the advice of professionals when it comes to dressing appropriately for remote bushwalking or in extreme conditions".
Mr Johnston says while the bureau's website and BOM Weather app are great tools to use when deciding what to wear, it is also crucial to keep an eye on warnings.
"You know things are going to be beyond shorts-wearing days when you see the bureau publish severe weather warnings, bushwalkers weather alerts and/or sheep graziers alerts," he said.
The Bureau of Meteorology in Tasmania issues bushwalkers weather alerts for snowfalls to various levels throughout the year (below 500 metres in winter, 800 metres either side of winter, and 1,100 metres over the warmer months).
Mr Johnston said severe weather warnings don't usually relate directly to cold temperatures, but advised if you see a severe weather warning for damaging or destructive winds in your area, it's "fair to say there's going to be enough wind around to make outdoors feel chilly".
"And sheep graziers alerts indicate that wet and windy conditions, which can impact livestock, can also bring the risk of hypothermic conditions to humans.
See the latest forecasts, observations, and the warnings for Tasmania on the bureau's website and download the BOM Weather app to stay up to date with the weather for your location.