Brisbane in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Brisbane sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 362 mm of rain over about 37 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels muggy.
Summer is Brisbane's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Brisbane's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 21°C
- Rainfall
- 362 mm
- 37 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.5
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Brisbane in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C.
A typical summer day in Brisbane reaches about 28°C and drops to 21°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is January, the coolest December.
Brisbane weather by month
How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29° / 21° | 125 | 12.8 | 13.5 | 5.3 |
| Feb | 29° / 21° | 128 | 12.7 | 13 | 5.3 |
| Mar | 27° / 19° | 93 | 12.1 | 12.2 | 6.3 |
| Apr | 25° / 16° | 43 | 8.4 | 11.4 | 7.3 |
| May | 23° / 13° | 60 | 7.1 | 10.7 | 7.6 |
| Jun | 21° / 10° | 52 | 6.2 | 10.3 | 7.4 |
| Jul | 21° / 9° | 28 | 4.1 | 10.4 | 7.8 |
| Aug | 22° / 9° | 36 | 4.4 | 11 | 8.1 |
| Sep | 24° / 12° | 35 | 5.4 | 11.8 | 8.1 |
| Oct | 26° / 15° | 72 | 8.2 | 12.7 | 7.4 |
| Nov | 27° / 18° | 84 | 9.7 | 13.4 | 6.6 |
| Dec | 28° / 20° | 110 | 11.5 | 13.7 | 5.9 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Brisbane gets around 362 mm of rain over 37 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 10 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min in early December to 12 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 6.0 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Brisbane
In summer, Brisbane overlaps its cyclone and rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Brisbane sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.
Brisbane's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is summer a good time to visit Brisbane?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a reasonable time to visit Brisbane for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Brisbane in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Brisbane sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 37 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Brisbane in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 26°C across summer — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 14 km away) is warmest in February at about 27°C and coldest in August near 20°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Sep 1 to Jul 23 — about 10.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 26 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 25 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 26 | Warm |
| Apr | 24 | Warm |
| May | 23 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 21 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 20 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 20 | Cool |
| Sep | 20 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 22 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 24 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 25 | Warm |
UV index in Brisbane in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Brisbane peaks around February 8 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 4 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 13 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Extreme |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 5 | High |
| Jun | 4 | Moderate |
| Jul | 5 | Moderate |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 7 | Very high |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
Where is Brisbane?
Brisbane sits at 27.5°S, 153.0°E, 27 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Coorparoo, 4.0 km away.
Topography around Brisbane
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Brisbane.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Brisbane has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 71 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 418 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 894 m.
The land around Brisbane is covered by artificial surfaces (70%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (43%) and trees (40%) within 16 km, and trees (38%), water (32%) and grassland (22%) within 80 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
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 Brisbane (-27.4679°, 153.0281°, elevation 27 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.