Townsville climate
Townsville (Queensland, Australia) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 25 °C77 °F, and about 875 mm34 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Townsville climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3289 | 2576 | 2883 | 2158.4 |
| Feb | 3188 | 2476 | 2882 | 2369.3 |
| Mar | 3087 | 2374 | 2780 | 1315.2 |
| Apr | 2985 | 2170 | 2577 | 481.9 |
| May | 2882 | 1865 | 2373 | 281.1 |
| Jun | 2678 | 1661 | 2169 | 240.9 |
| Jul | 2578 | 1559 | 2068 | 220.9 |
| Aug | 2780 | 1660 | 2170 | 120.5 |
| Sep | 2984 | 1865 | 2475 | 110.4 |
| Oct | 3188 | 2169 | 2678 | 210.8 |
| Nov | 3290 | 2373 | 2781 | 421.7 |
| Dec | 3391 | 2476 | 2983 | 873.4 |
| Year | 3391 | 1559 | 2577 | 87534 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74% | 62% | 6.4 | 13:10 |
| Feb | 79% | 58% | 6.1 | 12:45 |
| Mar | 79% | 57% | 5.7 | 12:15 |
| Apr | 75% | 42% | 5.2 | 11:41 |
| May | 71% | 42% | 4.4 | 11:13 |
| Jun | 72% | 41% | 3.9 | 10:58 |
| Jul | 69% | 33% | 4.4 | 11:04 |
| Aug | 66% | 28% | 5.3 | 11:28 |
| Sep | 65% | 27% | 6.3 | 12:01 |
| Oct | 64% | 31% | 7.0 | 12:34 |
| Nov | 65% | 40% | 7.2 | 13:03 |
| Dec | 68% | 46% | 7.0 | 13:17 |
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 Townsville is like
The warmest month is December, with an average high of 33 °C91 °F and a low of 24 °C76 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 25 °C78 °F and lows 15 °C59 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 8.4 °C15 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 875 mm34 in. The wettest three-month stretch is January–March, which brings 66% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: August and September. The wettest month is February (236 mm9.3 in), the driest is September (11 mm0.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 64% in October to 79% in March. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 27%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (6 mph) in August to 13 km/h (8 mph) in November. Daylight lasts from about 11.0 hours in June to 13.3 hours in December.
Best time to visit Townsville
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–September: average highs of 25 °C78 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 11 mm0.4 in to 48 mm1.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is February, which is hot, with average highs of 31 °C88 °F, very wet (236 mm9.3 in) and humid (79% 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 Townsville
- Wetter months (December–March) — highs 3087 to 33 °C91 °F, lows 2374 to 25 °C76 °F, about 167 mm6.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (April–November) — highs 2578 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1559 to 23 °C73 °F, about 26 mm1.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Townsville compares
Of the 39 places in Australia covered by World Climates, Townsville is the 6th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 16th 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: Beira (Mozambique, Aw), Xai-Xai (Mozambique, BSh) and Quelimane (Mozambique, Aw).
Nearby places
- Cairns 283 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,935 mm76 in
- Rockhampton 597 km · 23 °C73 °F · 805 mm32 in
- Gladstone 687 km · 23 °C73 °F · 839 mm33 in
- Sunshine Coast 1,043 km · 22 °C71 °F · 1,296 mm51 in
- Toowoomba 1,061 km · 18 °C64 °F · 667 mm26 in
- Port Moresby 1,089 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,336 mm53 in
- Brisbane 1,111 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,100 mm43 in
- Gold Coast 1,182 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,146 mm45 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Townsville?
December is the warmest month in Townsville, with an average high of 33 °C (91 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (76 °F).
What is the coldest month in Townsville?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 25 °C (78 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (59 °F).
When does it rain the most in Townsville?
February is the wettest month with about 236 mm (9.3 in) of precipitation; September is the driest with about 11 mm (0.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Townsville?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–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 132 m, while Townsville lies at about 15 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.8 °C1.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.