The temperature is expected to hover around this mark for the next hour or two before starting to drop slowly.

EARLIER: Launceston is unlikely to get to the forecast top of 36 today, says senior forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology Malcolm Downing.

He said cloud cover had slowed up the expected rise in temperature.

A short time ago it was 29 degrees in Launceston.

Mr Downing said he expected the temperature to peak at 34 degrees between 3 and 4pm