Cairns weather in February

In February, Cairns sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 254 mm of rain across 20.7 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 1st-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 17% of the time in February, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of February to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Cairns's 12th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cairns's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
1st warmest
Overnight low
24°
12th coldest
Rainfall
254 mm
20.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
6:15 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
72%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
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 February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical February day in Cairns reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, February runs on par with January and about 1°C warmer than March.

20°25°30°35°151015202528
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12924
22924
32924
42924
52924
62924
72924
82924
92924
102924
112924
122924
132924
142924
152924
162824
172824
182824
192824
202824
212824
222823
232823
242823
252823
262823
272823
282823

How February really feels in Cairns

Once humidity and wind are folded in, February averages 6 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
6
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Cairns weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 1st-warmest and 1st-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 February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in February, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33466
43466
53466
63565
73565
83466
93466
103466
113565
123565
133565
143565
153565
163664
173565
183466
193466
203466
213367
223367
233169
243169
253070
263070
272971
283070

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitation

Cairns gets around 254 mm of rain over 20.7 wet days in February, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 73% and peaks near 74% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202528
Rain chance (%)
173
273
373
473
573
673
773
873
973
1073
1173
1273
1373
1473
1573
1673
1773
1873
1973
2073
2174
2274
2374
2473
2573
2672
2772
2871

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, February lands in the oppressive band about 77% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
167321
267321
367321
467321
567420
667519
777419
877518
977617
1077617
1177716
1277716
1377815
1477815
1577815
1677914
1777914
1877914
1977914
2078013
2178013
2278013
2378013
2488012
2588012
2697912
27107911
28107911

Wind in February

Winds average 9 km/h in February, the calmest month.

Across February, 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.

051015151015202528
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of February to 12 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 6:08 AM to 6:19 AM, and sunset from 6:53 PM to 6:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.76:086:53
212.76:086:53
312.76:096:53
412.76:096:52
512.76:106:52
612.76:106:52
712.76:116:51
812.76:116:51
912.66:126:51
1012.66:126:51
1112.66:136:50
1212.66:136:50
1312.66:146:49
1412.66:146:49
1512.66:156:49
1612.66:156:48
1712.56:156:48
1812.56:166:47
1912.56:166:47
2012.56:166:46
2112.56:176:46
2212.56:176:45
2312.56:186:45
2412.46:186:44
2512.46:186:43
2612.46:196:43
2712.46:196:42
2812.46:196:42

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 5.46 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 — February's 5.46 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
Planning a trip in February

Hazard calendar for Cairns

In seasonPeak

In February, 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.

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

Is February a good time to visit Cairns?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

February is a reasonable time to visit Cairns for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cairns in February

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

In February, Cairns sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Cairns in February

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in February — 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 February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February 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 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
February 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).