Airlie Beach weather in January

In January, Airlie Beach sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 201 mm of rain across 17.6 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Airlie Beach's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Airlie Beach's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
25°
11th coldest
Rainfall
201 mm
17.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:41 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
57%
11th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Airlie Beach is town in Queensland, Australia.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical January day in Airlie Beach reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12825
22825
32825
42825
52825
62825
72825
82825
92825
102825
112825
122825
132825
142825
152825
162825
172825
182825
192825
202825
212825
222825
232825
242825
252825
262825
272826
282826
292826
302826
312826

How January really feels in Airlie Beach

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 4 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
4
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Airlie Beach weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 25°20117.613.15.2
Feb28° / 25°23318.412.74.7
Mar27° / 25°19117.612.15.4
Apr26° / 23°8613.911.56.4
May24° / 21°5010.511.17.1
Jun22° / 19°387.610.87.4
Jul21° / 18°284.410.97.8
Aug22° / 18°314.611.38.0
Sep23° / 20°133.611.98.5
Oct25° / 22°316.112.58.0
Nov27° / 24°598.4137.2
Dec28° / 25°10811.913.26.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26139
36139
46139
56040
66040
76040
85941
95743
105743
115644
125545
135446
145248
155149
165050
174951
184951
194852
204951
214852
224753
234753
244852
254951
264951
274951
284951
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Airlie Beach gets around 201 mm of rain over 17.6 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 57% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
153
254
354
455
555
656
756
856
956
1056
1157
1257
1357
1457
1557
1657
1757
1857
1957
2057
2157
2257
2357
2457
2557
2657
2758
2858
2959
3060
3160

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1136423
2126424
3126325
4126325
5126226
6126226
7126226
8126127
9126127
10126028
11126028
12116029
13116029
14115930
15115930
16105931
17105832
18105832
1995833
2095734
2185735
2285636
2375637
2465539
2565440
2655441
2755342
2845343
2945244
3045244
3145145

Wind in January

Winds average 19 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:32 AM to 5:51 AM, and sunset from 6:45 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:326:45
213.25:336:45
313.25:336:45
413.25:346:45
513.25:346:46
613.25:356:46
713.25:366:46
813.25:366:46
913.25:376:47
1013.25:386:47
1113.15:386:47
1213.15:396:47
1313.15:396:47
1413.15:406:47
1513.15:416:47
1613.15:416:48
1713.15:426:48
1813.15:436:48
1913.15:436:48
2013.15:446:48
2113.15:456:48
2213.05:456:48
2313.05:466:47
2413.05:466:47
2513.05:476:47
2613.05:486:47
2713.05:486:47
2813.05:496:47
2913.05:506:47
3012.95:506:46
3112.95:516:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.74 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.86 kWh/m² to a high of 6.98 kWh/m² in November across the year — January's 6.74 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.0Intense
37.0Intense
47.0Intense
57.0Intense
67.0Intense
76.9Intense
86.9Intense
96.9Intense
106.8Intense
116.8Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.6Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Airlie Beach

In seasonPeak

In January, Airlie Beach sits inside its cyclone and monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Airlie Beach sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Airlie Beach's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Airlie Beach?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Airlie Beach for sightseeing.

What to pack for Airlie Beach in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Airlie Beach sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Airlie Beach in January

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 18 km away) is warmest in February at about 29°C and coldest in August near 22°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar28Tropical
Apr27Warm
May25Warm
Jun23Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep24Refreshing
Oct25Warm
Nov27Warm
Dec28Warm

UV index in Airlie Beach in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Airlie Beach peaks around February 9 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 7 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeFeb 9UV 16Jun 22UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Airlie Beach in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Airlie Beach is worst in November — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.6× the cleanest month (July, 4 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodNov 1614 µg/m³Jul 134 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb6Good
Mar6Good
Apr5Good
May5Good
Jun5Good
Jul4Good
Aug5Good
Sep6Good
Oct8Good
Nov15Moderate
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Airlie Beach?

Airlie Beach sits at 20.3°S, 148.7°E, 0 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Mackay, 109 km away.

KirwanRockhamptonGladstoneCairnsPort DouglasBundaberg

Topography around Airlie Beach

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Airlie Beach.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Airlie Beach has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 436 m around an average of 50 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 657 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,146 m.

The land around Airlie Beach is covered by water (52%) and trees (36%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and water (46%) within 16 km, and water (58%) and trees (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
436 m
16 km
657 m
80 km
1,146 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Mackay 109 km · Townsville 229 km · Kirwan 234 km · Rockhampton 392 km · Gladstone 477 km · Cairns 485 km · Port Douglas 543 km · Bundaberg 633 km

Australia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 90% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$65,130
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
none 38%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 18%other Christian 4%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Airlie Beach (-20.2675°, 148.7147°, elevation 0 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).