Cairns climate
Cairns (Queensland, Australia) has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am). The average temperature over the year is 25 °C77 °F, and about 1,935 mm76 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Cairns climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3087 | 2576 | 2882 | 35314 |
| Feb | 3086 | 2577 | 2781 | 39215 |
| Mar | 2984 | 2475 | 2780 | 39215 |
| Apr | 2882 | 2272 | 2577 | 1917.5 |
| May | 2679 | 2069 | 2374 | 1034.0 |
| Jun | 2577 | 1966 | 2271 | 632.5 |
| Jul | 2576 | 1864 | 2170 | 532.1 |
| Aug | 2679 | 1864 | 2271 | 311.2 |
| Sep | 2883 | 1967 | 2475 | 311.2 |
| Oct | 3086 | 2170 | 2678 | 622.4 |
| Nov | 3188 | 2373 | 2781 | 863.4 |
| Dec | 3290 | 2475 | 2882 | 1797.1 |
| Year | 3290 | 1864 | 2577 | 1,93576 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 85% | 71% | 5.9 | 13:02 |
| Feb | 88% | 68% | 5.7 | 12:40 |
| Mar | 88% | 69% | 5.2 | 12:14 |
| Apr | 87% | 56% | 4.9 | 11:44 |
| May | 85% | 50% | 4.3 | 11:20 |
| Jun | 84% | 50% | 3.9 | 11:07 |
| Jul | 81% | 45% | 4.2 | 11:12 |
| Aug | 77% | 38% | 5.1 | 11:33 |
| Sep | 74% | 34% | 6.1 | 12:02 |
| Oct | 73% | 36% | 6.6 | 12:31 |
| Nov | 74% | 44% | 6.8 | 12:56 |
| Dec | 77% | 54% | 6.6 | 13:08 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Cairns is like
The warmest month is December, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 24 °C75 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 25 °C76 °F and lows 18 °C64 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 6.8 °C12.2 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,935 mm76 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is January–March, which brings 59% of the annual total. The wettest month is March (392 mm15 in), the driest is August (31 mm1.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 73% in October to 88% in March. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 34%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in February to 7 km/h (4 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 11.1 hours in June to 13.1 hours in December.
Best time to visit Cairns
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–September: average highs of 25 °C76 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 31 mm1.2 in to 63 mm2.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is February, which is hot, with average highs of 30 °C86 °F, very wet (392 mm15 in) and humid (88% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Cairns
- Wetter months (December–April) — highs 2882 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 2272 to 25 °C77 °F, about 301 mm12 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (May–November) — highs 2576 to 31 °C88 °F, lows 1864 to 23 °C73 °F, about 61 mm2.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Cairns compares
Compared with Townsville, about 283 km to the southeast, Cairns has practically the same average temperature and receives 121% more precipitation (1,935 mm76 in vs 875 mm34 in). The difference is largest in June (1.1 °C2 °F warmer).
Of the 39 places in Australia covered by World Climates, Cairns is the 5th warmest by annual mean temperature and the wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Australia climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Veracruz (Mexico, Aw), Qionghai (China, Am) and Wanning (China, Am).
Nearby places
- Townsville 283 km · 25 °C77 °F · 875 mm34 in
- Port Moresby 841 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,336 mm53 in
- Rockhampton 872 km · 23 °C73 °F · 805 mm32 in
- Gladstone 959 km · 23 °C73 °F · 839 mm33 in
- Merauke 1,102 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,890 mm74 in
- Lae 1,142 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,405 mm55 in
- Sunshine Coast 1,319 km · 22 °C71 °F · 1,296 mm51 in
- Toowoomba 1,343 km · 18 °C64 °F · 667 mm26 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Cairns?
December is the warmest month in Cairns, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (75 °F).
What is the coldest month in Cairns?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 25 °C (76 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (64 °F).
When does it rain the most in Cairns?
March is the wettest month with about 392 mm (15.4 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 31 mm (1.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Cairns?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 404 m, while Cairns lies at about 7 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.6 °C4.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.