Cairns weather in August

In August, Cairns sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 24 mm of rain across 5.5 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in August, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of August to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Cairns's 3rd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cairns's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
10th warmest
Overnight low
17°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
24 mm
5.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:38 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
45%
3rd clearest
Wind
12 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.7
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 August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month.

A typical August day in Cairns reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 2°C cooler than September.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12217
22217
32217
42217
52217
62217
72217
82217
92217
102217
112217
122217
132217
142317
152317
162317
172317
182317
192317
202317
212317
222317
232317
242317
252317
262318
272318
282318
292318
302318
312418

How August really feels in Cairns

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August 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

August 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 August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 10th-warmest and 11th-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 August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 32%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26733
36733
46733
56733
66733
76832
86832
96832
106832
116832
126832
136832
146832
156832
166832
176733
186733
196733
206733
216733
226733
236733
246733
256832
266832
276832
286832
296931
306931
317030

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Cairns gets around 24 mm of rain over 5.5 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 18% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
117
217
316
416
516
616
716
817
917
1017
1117
1217
1317
1418
1518
1618
1718
1818
1918
2018
2118
2218
2319
2419
2519
2619
2718
2818
2918
3018
3118

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the humid band about 45% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 9% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
115364270
216364170
316364170
416374160
516374160
616374160
716374160
816374160
916374150
1015374250
1115374250
1215374250
1315374260
1414374360
1514374360
1613364370
1713364470
1812364580
1911354580
2010344690
21103347100
2293248110
2383249110
2483049120
2573049130
2672950141
2762850151
2862750161
2962750171
3052650181
3152551181

Wind in August

Winds average 12 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of August to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:46 AM to 6:27 AM, and sunset from 6:00 PM to 6:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:466:00
211.26:466:00
311.36:456:01
411.36:456:01
511.36:446:01
611.36:446:01
711.36:436:02
811.36:436:02
911.36:426:02
1011.36:426:02
1111.46:416:03
1211.46:416:03
1311.46:406:03
1411.46:396:03
1511.46:396:04
1611.46:386:04
1711.46:386:04
1811.56:376:04
1911.56:366:04
2011.56:366:05
2111.56:356:05
2211.56:346:05
2311.56:346:05
2411.56:336:05
2511.66:326:06
2611.66:316:06
2711.66:316:06
2811.66:306:06
2911.66:296:06
3011.66:286:06
3111.66:276:06

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4.81 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 — August's 4.81 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Cairns

In seasonPeak

None of Cairns's seasonal hazards are active in August. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

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 August a good time to visit Cairns?

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

7.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

August is one of the better times to visit Cairns for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Cairns in August

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

In August, Cairns sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Cairns in August

The nearest coast averages about 24°C in August — 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 August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 10 (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
August 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).