Cairns weather in April

In April, Cairns sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 94 mm of rain across 12.7 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in April, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of April to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Cairns's 8th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cairns's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
6th warmest
Overnight low
21°
7th coldest
Rainfall
94 mm
12.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:29 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
57%
8th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Cairns is city in Queensland, Australia.

Density
314/km²
people per km²
Founded
1876

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

Temperature in April

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical April day in Cairns reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 2°C cooler than March and about 2°C warmer than May.

15°20°25°30°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12722
22722
32722
42722
52722
62722
72622
82622
92622
102622
112622
122622
132622
142621
152621
162621
172621
182621
192621
202621
212621
222621
232621
242621
252621
262521
272521
282521
292521
302521

How April really feels in Cairns

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

April sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Cairns weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 23°24621.312.94.2
Feb28° / 24°25420.712.64.0
Mar28° / 23°20617.912.15.2
Apr26° / 21°9412.711.66.3
May24° / 20°419.511.27.1
Jun23° / 18°277117.4
Jul22° / 17°275.911.17.5
Aug23° / 17°245.511.47.7
Sep24° / 18°144.111.98.2
Oct26° / 20°326.512.47.6
Nov27° / 22°5710.412.86.6
Dec28° / 23°14216.1135.2

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35347
45347
55347
65446
75347
85347
95347
105347
115347
125446
135446
145446
155545
165644
175644
185644
195842
205842
215842
225842
235941
245941
255941
265941
275941
285941
295941
305842

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

Cairns gets around 94 mm of rain over 12.7 wet days in April. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 42% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
147
246
346
447
547
647
747
847
947
1047
1146
1246
1345
1444
1543
1642
1741
1840
1939
2038
2137
2237
2336
2436
2535
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035

Humidity in April

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, April lands in the muggy band about 61% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 89% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
10250471
20351451
30354430
40455410
50457390
60458380
70559360
80560350
90562330
100662320
110663310
120763300
130863290
140864280
151963270
1611063260
1711063260
1811163250
1911163250
2011263240
2111363230
2211363230
2311463220
2421562210
2521662200
2621762190
2721862180
2821962170
2922062160
3032161150

Wind in April

Winds average 14 km/h in April, the windiest month of the year.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of April to 11 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 6:26 AM to 6:32 AM, and sunset from 6:17 PM to 5:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:266:17
211.86:266:16
311.86:266:16
411.86:266:15
511.86:276:14
611.86:276:13
711.86:276:13
811.76:276:12
911.76:276:11
1011.76:276:10
1111.76:286:09
1211.76:286:09
1311.76:286:08
1411.66:286:07
1511.66:286:06
1611.66:296:06
1711.66:296:05
1811.66:296:04
1911.66:296:04
2011.66:296:03
2111.56:306:02
2211.56:306:02
2311.56:306:01
2411.56:306:00
2511.56:316:00
2611.56:315:59
2711.56:315:58
2811.46:315:58
2911.46:325:57
3011.46:325:57

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 4.88 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.82 kWh/m² to a high of 6.68 kWh/m² in November across the year — April's 4.88 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.5Bright
Planning a trip in April

Hazard calendar for Cairns

In seasonPeak

In April, Cairns sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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

Cairns'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 April a good time to visit Cairns?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

April is a reasonable time to visit Cairns for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Cairns in April

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

In April, Cairns sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 21°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Cairns in April

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in April — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in February at about 29°C and coldest in July near 24°C.

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

22°24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar28Tropical
Apr27Warm
May26Warm
Jun24Warm
Jul24Refreshing
Aug24Refreshing
Sep25Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov27Warm
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Cairns in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cairns peaks around February 11 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 11UV 16Jun 21UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Cairns?

Cairns sits at 16.9°S, 145.8°E, 7 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Port Douglas, 58 km away.

TownsvilleKirwanAirlie BeachMackayMount IsaPort MoresbyRockhampton

Topography around Cairns

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cairns has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 39 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,180 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,561 m.

The land around Cairns is covered by artificial surfaces (44%) and water (24%) within 3 km, trees (50%) and water (26%) within 16 km, and water (43%) and trees (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
39 m
16 km
1,180 m
80 km
1,561 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
April weather nearby: Port Douglas 58 km · Townsville 283 km · Kirwan 283 km · Airlie Beach 485 km · Mackay 591 km · Mount Isa 783 km · Port Moresby 841 km · Rockhampton 872 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 Cairns (-16.9237°, 145.7661°, elevation 7 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).