Cairns weather in December
In December, Cairns sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 142 mm of rain across 16.1 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-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 27% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of December to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Cairns's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cairns's year-round climate.
- Daytime high
- 28°
- 3rd warmest
- Overnight low
- 23°
- 10th coldest
- Rainfall
- 142 mm
- 16.1 wet days
- Daylight
- 13 hours
- 5:43 AM – 6:43 PM
- Cloud cover
- 60%
- 9th clearest
- Wind
- 10 km/h
- 10th windiest
- Solar energy
- 6.35 kWh/m²
- Travel score
- 5.2
- 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 December
Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.
A typical December day in Cairns reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Avg low (°C) | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | 23 |
| 2 | 28 | 23 |
| 3 | 28 | 23 |
| 4 | 28 | 23 |
| 5 | 28 | 23 |
| 6 | 28 | 23 |
| 7 | 28 | 23 |
| 8 | 28 | 23 |
| 9 | 28 | 23 |
| 10 | 28 | 23 |
| 11 | 28 | 23 |
| 12 | 28 | 23 |
| 13 | 28 | 23 |
| 14 | 28 | 23 |
| 15 | 28 | 23 |
| 16 | 28 | 23 |
| 17 | 28 | 23 |
| 18 | 28 | 23 |
| 19 | 28 | 23 |
| 20 | 28 | 23 |
| 21 | 28 | 23 |
| 22 | 28 | 23 |
| 23 | 28 | 23 |
| 24 | 28 | 23 |
| 25 | 28 | 23 |
| 26 | 28 | 23 |
| 27 | 28 | 23 |
| 28 | 28 | 23 |
| 29 | 28 | 23 |
| 30 | 28 | 23 |
| 31 | 28 | 23 |
How December really feels in Cairns
Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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.
December 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 December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28° / 23° | 246 | 21.3 | 12.9 | 4.2 |
| Feb | 28° / 24° | 254 | 20.7 | 12.6 | 4.0 |
| Mar | 28° / 23° | 206 | 17.9 | 12.1 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 26° / 21° | 94 | 12.7 | 11.6 | 6.3 |
| May | 24° / 20° | 41 | 9.5 | 11.2 | 7.1 |
| Jun | 23° / 18° | 27 | 7 | 11 | 7.4 |
| Jul | 22° / 17° | 27 | 5.9 | 11.1 | 7.5 |
| Aug | 23° / 17° | 24 | 5.5 | 11.4 | 7.7 |
| Sep | 24° / 18° | 14 | 4.1 | 11.9 | 8.2 |
| Oct | 26° / 20° | 32 | 6.5 | 12.4 | 7.6 |
| Nov | 27° / 22° | 57 | 10.4 | 12.8 | 6.6 |
| Dec | 28° / 23° | 142 | 16.1 | 13 | 5.2 |
Cloud cover in December
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December.
Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 62 | 63 | 62 | 62 | 61 | 60 | 59 | 58 | 58 | 56 | 56 | 55 | 54 | 53 | 51 | 50 | 48 | 47 | 46 | 45 | 43 | 43 | 42 | 41 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 38 | 38 | 39 | 39 |
| Cloudier (%) | 38 | 37 | 38 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 42 | 44 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 49 | 50 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 57 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 62 | 61 | 61 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 62 | 38 |
| 2 | 63 | 37 |
| 3 | 62 | 38 |
| 4 | 62 | 38 |
| 5 | 61 | 39 |
| 6 | 60 | 40 |
| 7 | 59 | 41 |
| 8 | 58 | 42 |
| 9 | 58 | 42 |
| 10 | 56 | 44 |
| 11 | 56 | 44 |
| 12 | 55 | 45 |
| 13 | 54 | 46 |
| 14 | 53 | 47 |
| 15 | 51 | 49 |
| 16 | 50 | 50 |
| 17 | 48 | 52 |
| 18 | 47 | 53 |
| 19 | 46 | 54 |
| 20 | 45 | 55 |
| 21 | 43 | 57 |
| 22 | 43 | 57 |
| 23 | 42 | 58 |
| 24 | 41 | 59 |
| 25 | 40 | 60 |
| 26 | 40 | 60 |
| 27 | 39 | 61 |
| 28 | 38 | 62 |
| 29 | 38 | 62 |
| 30 | 39 | 61 |
| 31 | 39 | 61 |
Chance of precipitation in December
Cairns gets around 142 mm of rain over 16.1 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 51% and peaks near 62% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain chance (%) | 44 | 44 | 44 | 45 | 45 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 48 | 48 | 49 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 62 |
| Rain chance (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 44 |
| 2 | 44 |
| 3 | 44 |
| 4 | 45 |
| 5 | 45 |
| 6 | 46 |
| 7 | 46 |
| 8 | 46 |
| 9 | 47 |
| 10 | 47 |
| 11 | 47 |
| 12 | 47 |
| 13 | 48 |
| 14 | 48 |
| 15 | 49 |
| 16 | 49 |
| 17 | 50 |
| 18 | 51 |
| 19 | 52 |
| 20 | 53 |
| 21 | 54 |
| 22 | 55 |
| 23 | 56 |
| 24 | 57 |
| 25 | 58 |
| 26 | 59 |
| 27 | 60 |
| 28 | 61 |
| 29 | 61 |
| 30 | 62 |
| 31 | 62 |
Humidity in December
Most of December feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 62% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humid (%) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 40 | 39 | 38 | 37 | 36 | 36 | 35 | 35 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 |
| Oppressive (%) | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 59 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 59 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 72 |
| Miserable (%) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 40 | 54 | 2 |
| 2 | 4 | 39 | 55 | 2 |
| 3 | 3 | 38 | 56 | 3 |
| 4 | 3 | 37 | 57 | 3 |
| 5 | 3 | 36 | 58 | 3 |
| 6 | 2 | 36 | 59 | 3 |
| 7 | 2 | 35 | 60 | 3 |
| 8 | 2 | 35 | 59 | 4 |
| 9 | 1 | 34 | 61 | 4 |
| 10 | 1 | 34 | 61 | 4 |
| 11 | 1 | 34 | 61 | 4 |
| 12 | 1 | 34 | 61 | 4 |
| 13 | 1 | 35 | 59 | 5 |
| 14 | 1 | 35 | 59 | 5 |
| 15 | 1 | 34 | 60 | 5 |
| 16 | 0 | 34 | 61 | 5 |
| 17 | 0 | 34 | 61 | 5 |
| 18 | 0 | 33 | 62 | 5 |
| 19 | 0 | 33 | 62 | 5 |
| 20 | 0 | 32 | 62 | 6 |
| 21 | 0 | 31 | 63 | 6 |
| 22 | 0 | 30 | 64 | 6 |
| 23 | 0 | 29 | 65 | 6 |
| 24 | 0 | 28 | 65 | 7 |
| 25 | 0 | 27 | 66 | 7 |
| 26 | 0 | 26 | 67 | 7 |
| 27 | 0 | 25 | 68 | 7 |
| 28 | 0 | 23 | 70 | 7 |
| 29 | 0 | 22 | 71 | 7 |
| 30 | 0 | 21 | 71 | 8 |
| 31 | 0 | 20 | 72 | 8 |
Wind in December
Winds average 10 km/h in December.
Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | calm |
| 2 | 10 | calm |
| 3 | 10 | calm |
| 4 | 10 | calm |
| 5 | 10 | calm |
| 6 | 10 | calm |
| 7 | 10 | calm |
| 8 | 10 | calm |
| 9 | 10 | calm |
| 10 | 10 | calm |
| 11 | 10 | calm |
| 12 | 10 | calm |
| 13 | 10 | calm |
| 14 | 10 | calm |
| 15 | 10 | calm |
| 16 | 10 | calm |
| 17 | 10 | calm |
| 18 | 10 | calm |
| 19 | 10 | calm |
| 20 | 10 | calm |
| 21 | 10 | calm |
| 22 | 10 | calm |
| 23 | 10 | calm |
| 24 | 10 | calm |
| 25 | 10 | calm |
| 26 | 10 | calm |
| 27 | 9 | calm |
| 28 | 9 | calm |
| 29 | 9 | calm |
| 30 | 9 | calm |
| 31 | 9 | calm |
Sunrise & sunset in December
Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of December to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:39 AM to 5:50 AM, and sunset from 6:35 PM to 6:50 PM.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 12.9 | 12.9 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:39 | 5:39 | 5:39 | 5:39 | 5:39 | 5:40 | 5:40 | 5:40 | 5:40 | 5:41 | 5:41 | 5:41 | 5:42 | 5:42 | 5:43 | 5:43 | 5:43 | 5:44 | 5:44 | 5:45 | 5:45 | 5:46 | 5:46 | 5:47 | 5:47 | 5:48 | 5:48 | 5:49 | 5:49 | 5:50 | 5:50 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:35 | 6:35 | 6:36 | 6:37 | 6:37 | 6:38 | 6:38 | 6:39 | 6:39 | 6:40 | 6:41 | 6:41 | 6:42 | 6:42 | 6:43 | 6:43 | 6:44 | 6:44 | 6:45 | 6:45 | 6:46 | 6:46 | 6:47 | 6:47 | 6:48 | 6:48 | 6:48 | 6:49 | 6:49 | 6:50 | 6:50 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12.9 | 5:39 | 6:35 |
| 2 | 12.9 | 5:39 | 6:35 |
| 3 | 13.0 | 5:39 | 6:36 |
| 4 | 13.0 | 5:39 | 6:37 |
| 5 | 13.0 | 5:39 | 6:37 |
| 6 | 13.0 | 5:40 | 6:38 |
| 7 | 13.0 | 5:40 | 6:38 |
| 8 | 13.0 | 5:40 | 6:39 |
| 9 | 13.0 | 5:40 | 6:39 |
| 10 | 13.0 | 5:41 | 6:40 |
| 11 | 13.0 | 5:41 | 6:41 |
| 12 | 13.0 | 5:41 | 6:41 |
| 13 | 13.0 | 5:42 | 6:42 |
| 14 | 13.0 | 5:42 | 6:42 |
| 15 | 13.0 | 5:43 | 6:43 |
| 16 | 13.0 | 5:43 | 6:43 |
| 17 | 13.0 | 5:43 | 6:44 |
| 18 | 13.0 | 5:44 | 6:44 |
| 19 | 13.0 | 5:44 | 6:45 |
| 20 | 13.0 | 5:45 | 6:45 |
| 21 | 13.0 | 5:45 | 6:46 |
| 22 | 13.0 | 5:46 | 6:46 |
| 23 | 13.0 | 5:46 | 6:47 |
| 24 | 13.0 | 5:47 | 6:47 |
| 25 | 13.0 | 5:47 | 6:48 |
| 26 | 13.0 | 5:48 | 6:48 |
| 27 | 13.0 | 5:48 | 6:48 |
| 28 | 13.0 | 5:49 | 6:49 |
| 29 | 13.0 | 5:49 | 6:49 |
| 30 | 13.0 | 5:50 | 6:50 |
| 31 | 13.0 | 5:50 | 6:50 |
Solar energy in December
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.35 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 — December's 6.35 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.3 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6.6 | Intense |
| 2 | 6.6 | Intense |
| 3 | 6.6 | Intense |
| 4 | 6.6 | Intense |
| 5 | 6.6 | Intense |
| 6 | 6.6 | Intense |
| 7 | 6.6 | Intense |
| 8 | 6.6 | Intense |
| 9 | 6.6 | Intense |
| 10 | 6.5 | Intense |
| 11 | 6.5 | Intense |
| 12 | 6.5 | Intense |
| 13 | 6.5 | Intense |
| 14 | 6.5 | Intense |
| 15 | 6.5 | Intense |
| 16 | 6.4 | Intense |
| 17 | 6.4 | Intense |
| 18 | 6.4 | Intense |
| 19 | 6.4 | Intense |
| 20 | 6.3 | Intense |
| 21 | 6.3 | Intense |
| 22 | 6.3 | Intense |
| 23 | 6.3 | Intense |
| 24 | 6.3 | Intense |
| 25 | 6.3 | Intense |
| 26 | 6.3 | Intense |
| 27 | 6.3 | Intense |
| 28 | 6.3 | Intense |
| 29 | 6.3 | Intense |
| 30 | 6.3 | Intense |
| 31 | 6.3 | Intense |
Hazard calendar for Cairns
In December, Cairns sits inside its cyclone and monsoon 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.
Is December a good time to visit Cairns?
Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).
December is a reasonable time to visit Cairns for sightseeing.
What to pack for Cairns in December
From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In December, Cairns sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 16 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Cairns in December
The nearest coast averages about 29°C in December — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 29 |
| Comfort | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | Tropical |
| Feb | 29 | Tropical |
| Mar | 28 | Tropical |
| Apr | 27 | Warm |
| May | 26 | Warm |
| Jun | 24 | Warm |
| Jul | 24 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 24 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 25 | Warm |
| Oct | 26 | Warm |
| Nov | 27 | Warm |
| Dec | 29 | Tropical |
UV index in Cairns in December
Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 16 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Extreme |
| Feb | 16 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 12 | Extreme |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
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.
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.
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 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).