Cairns weather by month & the best time to visit
🇦🇺 Australia · beach resort · tropical monsoon climate
The best time to visit Cairns is August — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 90/100), with September and July close behind. Cairns averages about 2,763 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 26°C / 79°F and roughly 31 mm of rain in August.
Jump to: month-by-month table · sea temperature · nearby alternatives · embed this data
- Sun hours / year
- 2,763
- Sunniest month
- August
- Peak score
- 90/100
- Rain / year
- 1,935 mm
- Midday UV at peak
- 12 (extreme)
- Sea at warmest
- 31°C / 88°F
- Population
- 154k
- Elevation
- Sea level
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When is the best time to visit Cairns?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Cairns is August, then September and July. The dullest month is January (68/100, 352 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Cairns?
Cairns gets a lot of sun: around 2,763 hours a year. August (90/100) is noticeably better than January (68). It ranks #85 of 118 destinations in Australia for annual sunshine, below the national median of 3,071 hours. Rain has a clear season: the wettest stretch, around February, carries about 59% of the annual 1,935 mm.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 68 | 31° / 88°F | 25° / 77°F | 352 mm | 12 | 31° / 88°F |
| February | 68 | 30° / 86°F | 25° / 77°F | 392 mm | 12 | 31° / 88°F |
| March | 68 | 29° / 84°F | 24° / 75°F | 392 mm | 11 | 29° / 84°F |
| April | 68 | 28° / 82°F | 22° / 72°F | 191 mm | 9 | 28° / 82°F |
| May | 76 | 26° / 79°F | 20° / 68°F | 103 mm | 8 | 26° / 79°F |
| June | 84 | 25° / 77°F | 19° / 66°F | 63 mm | 6 | 24° / 75°F |
| July | 86 | 25° / 77°F | 18° / 64°F | 53 mm | 7 | 24° / 75°F |
| August | 90 | 26° / 79°F | 18° / 64°F | 31 mm | 9 | 24° / 75°F |
| September | 90 | 28° / 82°F | 19° / 66°F | 31 mm | 10 | 25° / 77°F |
| October | 84 | 30° / 86°F | 21° / 70°F | 62 mm | 11 | 27° / 81°F |
| November | 79 | 31° / 88°F | 23° / 73°F | 86 mm | 12 | 29° / 84°F |
| December | 68 | 32° / 90°F | 24° / 75°F | 179 mm | 12 | 30° / 86°F |
Sea temperature in Cairns by month
The sea off Cairns is warmest in January at around 31°C / 88°F, and coolest in June at 24°C / 75°F. The water sits at a comfortable 21°C or warmer roughly all year round. Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
See Cairns on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Townsville Australia · 285 km · best in Sep · 3,126 h sun/yr
- Proserpine Australia · 499 km · best in Sep · 3,060 h sun/yr
- Hamilton Island Australia · 513 km · best in Sep · 3,060 h sun/yr
- Mackay Australia · 598 km · best in Aug · 3,009 h sun/yr
- Port Moresby Papua New Guinea · 842 km · best in Jul · 2,354 h sun/yr
- Rockhampton Australia · 875 km · best in Aug · 3,135 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Coen Australia · 447 km · 2,668 h sun/yr · best in Aug
- Kowanyama Australia · 454 km · 3,195 h sun/yr · best in Jul
- Hughenden Australia · 466 km · 3,647 h sun/yr · best in Aug
- Pormpuraaw Australia · 495 km · 3,181 h sun/yr · best in Jul
Head-to-head
How Cairns compares month by month: Cairns vs Port Moresby · Cairns vs Townsville · Cairns vs Hamilton Island · Cairns vs Proserpine · all comparisons
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