Snow was sighted at Ben Lomond on Tuesday, with little ``polystyrene-like balls'' of hail falling continuously yesterday.

Ben Lomond Creek Inn owner Colin Mears said a flurry of snow fell for about 30 minutes on Tuesday as a cold front blew across the mountain.

Hail was also reported in the state's South yesterday as Hobart recorded its coldest start to January since 2004.

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Anna Forrest said temperatures in the South were between eight and 11 degrees below average, while those in the North were two to four degrees below average - with Launceston recording the state's highest temperature of 20 degrees.

She said this week's cold weather wasn't totally out of the bag.

``Short-lived cold snaps in summer are not something we can get away from in Tasmania,'' she said.

And Tasmania isn't the only state experiencing cold weather.

A senior meteorologist at the Weather Channel said Victoria and southern New South Wales had also experienced a ``midsummer cold spell'' with most temperatures below 20 degrees.