Cairns Weather and Climate Information for Visitors

Overview

Cairns has become famed in recent years for its tropical, island climate and associated range of activities due to its close proximity to Australia's Wonder of the Natural World, the Great Barrier Reef. The warm, tropical monsoon climate is conducive to humid temperatures and a pronounced wet season that runs from November to May; despite its' images of sunshine it is actually one of Australia's wettest towns. Balancing all this out is its coastal location with sea breezes alleviating the humidity of the hotter seasons and providing a gateway to many of the top tourist attractions in not just Queensland, but the entire Australian continent.

Temperatures and Rainfall

Cairns is a typical hot, wet city in the tropics with prodigious amounts of rainfall coupled with days of amazing sunshine and an island atmosphere while still being located on the mainland. The yearly average maximum temperature for the Cairns region is a steamy 29 °C (84.2°F), with the yearly average "minimum" sitting at a warm 20.8°C (69.4°F), indicative of its tropical locale.

The city's hottest months from January to March are also its wettest, with an average of 425mm of rainfall cascading down during these months. The area's geographic locations can also make it occasionally prone to tropical cyclones that form off the Queensland coast, which can sometimes cause flooding further inland (away from the majority of tourist attractions and hotspots.)

Seasons

The topical climate of Cairns entails a combination of hot, humid Summers coupled with mild, dry Winters, with a generally consistent high temperature all year round. One of Australia's balmiest cities, prepare to sweat while in Cairns in most months of the year outside the Winter season - luckily, there are hundreds of things to do that make sweating unbelievably fun! Cairns really only has "two seasons" - the wet and the dry, however a brief summary of each of Cairns individual seasons can be found below.

Summer

Cairns Summers make for some of the hottest conditions on Australia's East coast, and thus the market for water sports such as snorkelling, scuba diving, and general swimming has hit a major boom in recent years. The beaches of Cairns have become world-famous as a result, and with temperatures easily averaging over 30 degrees celsius during the Summer months, it isn't hard to see why. Care must be taken when hitting the waters during these months for a variety of reasons; dangerous box jellyfish inhabit some of the waters (although safety swimming enclosures have been put in place at most beaches to provide safer conditions for visitors), and sunscreen should be worn at all times due to the strength of the sunshine and its high level of UV content, with multiple applications recommended throughout the day. Summer is the season in which Cairns thrives; if you can deal with humidity, you will have found an Aussie paradise.

Autumn

Using the term "Autumn" to describe a season in Cairns is something of a misnomer; it really is just a slightly cooler continuation of Summer and thus more tolerable for those without high heat thresholds. Autumn does provide a chance to cool off and recover from the hot wet season, with the amount of rainfall declining considerably yet still retaining the benefit of the strong sunshine and warm waters befitting of a tropical holiday location. The cooler temperatures are noticeable in the South end of the region's coast as the difference between Summer and Autumn is only slight further North. Beaches are still a very viable destination during this period and all activities that are draw cards for Summer still apply here as well.

Winter

Many consider Cairns' "Winter" to be the most pleasant time of the year to visit due to its lower rainfall levels, comfortable daily temperatures and cool nights which make it easier to sleep. While technically Cairns' "coldest" time of the year, the city still remains hotter than the Summers of many other holiday destinations around the world. Casual, beach going clothing is still suitable for most days, although a jacket may provide extra comfort on the rare cooler Winter nights.

Spring

Cairns' Spring months bear a large similarity to those of Autumn; preparations for the upcoming rainy season get underway as the temperature once again progressively gets hotter day by day. Providing glorious sunny days followed by balmy evenings, Spring is perfect for both indoor and outdoor activities as the humidity levels have not yet reached that of Summer - the ideal season to enjoy either a day at the beach or traveling out to the reef. Definitely the time to take advantage of the cooler daytime temperatures before they get overly oppressive in the peak highs of Summer.