Best time to visit Cairns
The best time to visit Cairns is May–October, judged on twenty years of weather records and the events worth going for.
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
°C
mm
- Average daily high and low
- Precipitation
- Good month
- Best month
- Made good or best by an event
| Month | Average daily high | Average daily low | Precipitation | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28.5 °C / 83 °F | 23.7 °C / 75 °F | 344 mm / 13.5 in | neither best nor good |
| February | 28.5 °C / 83 °F | 23.7 °C / 75 °F | 296 mm / 11.6 in | neither best nor good |
| March | 27.7 °C / 82 °F | 23.1 °C / 74 °F | 254 mm / 10 in | neither best nor good |
| April | 26.3 °C / 79 °F | 21.7 °C / 71 °F | 128 mm / 5 in | good month |
| May | 24.3 °C / 76 °F | 19.8 °C / 68 °F | 50 mm / 2 in | best month |
| June | 22.9 °C / 73 °F | 18.1 °C / 65 °F | 34 mm / 1.3 in | best month |
| July | 22.3 °C / 72 °F | 17.3 °C / 63 °F | 33 mm / 1.3 in | best month |
| August | 22.8 °C / 73 °F | 17.3 °C / 63 °F | 22 mm / 0.9 in | best month |
| September | 24.3 °C / 76 °F | 18.8 °C / 66 °F | 20 mm / 0.8 in | best month |
| October | 25.8 °C / 78 °F | 20.4 °C / 69 °F | 33 mm / 1.3 in | best month |
| November | 27.2 °C / 81 °F | 22 °C / 72 °F | 50 mm / 2 in | good month |
| December | 28.2 °C / 83 °F | 23.2 °C / 74 °F | 206 mm / 8.1 in | neither best nor good |
Good and best months depend on more than temperature, rain and events. How they are chosen
Each activity on this page has its own good and best months, rated on twenty years of daily weather records. Which measures count, and how much, depends on the activity: humidity for exploring outdoors, wind for the beach, hiking and skiing, snow for skiing alone. Between them, the activities are rated on:
- Daytime highs
- Night-time lows
- How warm it feels
- Humidity
- How much of the day is sunny
- Hours of daylight
- Monthly rainfall
- How many days it rains
- Days of heavy rain
- Wind
- Snowfall and days with snow
- Major events, such as festivals
The chart shows the good and best months for exploring outdoors.
The event icon marks a month that an event lifts to good or best, such as a festival or a natural spectacle. Choose “Weather only” in the toolbar to rate the months on weather alone.
Best months by activity
Exploring outdoors
Mild days and nights, mostly dry and bright. The default for 'when should I go'.
- JJanuary: neither
- FFebruary: neither
- MMarch: neither
- AApril: good
- MMay: best
- JJune: best
- JJuly: best
- AAugust: best
- SSeptember: best
- OOctober: best
- NNovember: good
- DDecember: neither
- Best
- May–October
- Good
- April, November
Why these months
April · good
In its favour: feels like (high) 29 °C / 84 °F, share of daylight that is sunny 87%, average daily high 26.3 °C / 79 °F, days with heavy rain 2.7 days, precipitation 128 mm / 5 in, average daily low 21.7 °C / 71 °F.
Against: wet days 13.3 days, relative humidity 83%.
May · best
In its favour: feels like (high) 25.6 °C / 78 °F, average daily high 24.3 °C / 76 °F, precipitation 50 mm / 2 in, share of daylight that is sunny 89%, days with heavy rain 0.7 days, wet days 11.1 days, average daily low 19.8 °C / 68 °F.
Against: relative humidity 82%.
June · best
In its favour: feels like (high) 23.6 °C / 74 °F, average daily high 22.9 °C / 73 °F, precipitation 34 mm / 1.3 in, share of daylight that is sunny 88%, days with heavy rain 0.7 days, wet days 8 days, average daily low 18.1 °C / 65 °F.
Against: relative humidity 81%.
July · best
In its favour: feels like (high) 22.7 °C / 73 °F, average daily high 22.3 °C / 72 °F, precipitation 33 mm / 1.3 in, share of daylight that is sunny 88%, days with heavy rain 0.8 days, wet days 6.1 days, average daily low 17.3 °C / 63 °F.
Against: relative humidity 80%.
August · best
In its favour: feels like (high) 23.4 °C / 74 °F, average daily high 22.8 °C / 73 °F, precipitation 22 mm / 0.9 in, share of daylight that is sunny 90%, wet days 5 days, days with heavy rain 0.2 days, average daily low 17.3 °C / 63 °F.
Against: relative humidity 78%.
September · best
In its favour: feels like (high) 25.9 °C / 79 °F, average daily high 24.3 °C / 76 °F, precipitation 20 mm / 0.8 in, share of daylight that is sunny 94%, wet days 5.7 days, days with heavy rain 0.2 days, average daily low 18.8 °C / 66 °F.
Against: relative humidity 78%.
October · best
In its favour: feels like (high) 28.4 °C / 83 °F, average daily high 25.8 °C / 78 °F, precipitation 33 mm / 1.3 in, share of daylight that is sunny 94%, days with heavy rain 0.5 days, wet days 7.2 days, average daily low 20.4 °C / 69 °F.
Against: relative humidity 78%.
November · good
In its favour: precipitation 50 mm / 2 in, share of daylight that is sunny 90%, average daily high 27.2 °C / 81 °F, days with heavy rain 1.1 days, wet days 10.2 days, average daily low 22 °C / 72 °F.
Against: feels like (high) 30.9 °C / 88 °F, relative humidity 79%.
An activity is listed only where it applies: skiing at ski destinations, beach and swimming at beach destinations. The nearest ski area is Perisher, 2178 km away.
Weather averages
Monthly averages over twenty years, 2006–2025. Highs, lows and precipitation are in the chart at the top.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels like (high) | 33.5 °C | 33.6 °C | 32 °C | 29 °C | 25.6 °C | 23.6 °C | 22.7 °C | 23.4 °C | 25.9 °C | 28.4 °C | 30.9 °C | 32.7 °C |
| Days with heavy rain | 9.3 days | 7.5 days | 6.8 days | 2.7 days | 0.7 days | 0.7 days | 0.8 days | 0.2 days | 0.2 days | 0.5 days | 1.1 days | 4.3 days |
| Time rain usually falls | 2 pm | 3 pm | 1 pm | 1 pm | 12 pm | 12 am | 12 pm | 12 pm | 1 pm | 1 pm | 2 pm | 3 pm |
| Sunshine per day | 10 h | 9.7 h | 9.5 h | 10.2 h | 10.1 h | 9.8 h | 9.9 h | 10.4 h | 11.3 h | 11.7 h | 11.7 h | 11.2 h |
| Relative humidity | 84% | 85% | 85% | 83% | 82% | 81% | 80% | 78% | 78% | 78% | 79% | 82% |
Air quality
Averaged over a shorter period (2022–2025) than the twenty-year averages above, and not counted towards good or best months.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air pollution (PM2.5) 2022–2025 | 4.2 µg/m³ | 4.1 µg/m³ | 3.9 µg/m³ | 4.6 µg/m³ | 4.1 µg/m³ | 4 µg/m³ | 4.8 µg/m³ | 4.9 µg/m³ | 5.5 µg/m³ | 7.3 µg/m³ | 6.2 µg/m³ | 5.4 µg/m³ |
| Air pollution (PM2.5, daily peak) 2022–2025 | 6.6 µg/m³ | 6.4 µg/m³ | 5.9 µg/m³ | 6.6 µg/m³ | 5.8 µg/m³ | 6 µg/m³ | 6.8 µg/m³ | 6.9 µg/m³ | 7.4 µg/m³ | 11.7 µg/m³ | 8.6 µg/m³ | 8.5 µg/m³ |
- Good 15 µg/m³ or less
- Fair 15 to 25 µg/m³
- Moderate 25 to 37.5 µg/m³
- Poor 37.5 to 50 µg/m³
- Very poor 50 to 75 µg/m³
- Extremely poor over 75 µg/m³
Each figure is compared with the World Health Organization's guideline for a day's air, 15 µg/m³ or less, and with its interim targets above that. The words are ours: the WHO does not name its steps. The figures are modelled monthly averages, so single days can be well above them. The daily peak is the average of each day's highest hour, shaded on the same scale.