At the 4.40pm the temperature is 32.4 degrees in the city

While temperatures are gradually increasing, they are expected to start decreasing after 5pm and still be in the high 20s after 7pm.

EARLIER: once the mid-level cloud cover over Launceston is gone, temperatures are expected to push up towards 36 degrees this afternoon, says the Bureau of Meteorology.

This cloud cover is expected to go within the next couple of hours, according to meteorologist Alex Melitsis, with a likely peak of 36 degrees to occur soon after.

Launceston's temperature at 1pm is 27.1 degrees.