Cairns weather in March

In March, Cairns sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 206 mm of rain across 17.9 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-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 23% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Cairns's 10th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cairns's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
4th warmest
Overnight low
23°
9th coldest
Rainfall
206 mm
17.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:23 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
67%
10th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.24 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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical March 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 26°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C cooler than February and about 2°C warmer than April.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12823
22823
32823
42823
52823
62823
72823
82823
92823
102823
112823
122823
132823
142823
152723
162723
172723
182723
192723
202723
212723
222723
232723
242722
252722
262722
272722
282722
292722
302722
312722

How March really feels in Cairns

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March 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

March 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 March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
22872
32872
42971
52971
63070
73070
83070
93169
103367
113466
123565
133565
143664
153763
163862
173961
184159
194357
204357
214555
224753
234753
244951
254951
265050
275149
285248
295347
305347
315446

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Cairns gets around 206 mm of rain over 17.9 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 59% and peaks near 70% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
170
270
369
469
568
667
767
866
965
1065
1164
1263
1363
1462
1561
1661
1760
1859
1958
2056
2155
2253
2352
2451
2550
2649
2748
2848
2947
3047
3147

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the oppressive band about 65% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
10117910
20137710
30147610
4015769
5016759
6018748
7019738
8021727
9023707
10024706
11026686
12027685
13028675
14029674
15030664
16031654
17032653
18033643
19034633
20034642
21035632
22036622
23037612
24038602
25139582
26140572
27141571
28143551
29244531
30246511
31248491

Wind in March

Winds average 11 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:19 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 6:41 PM to 6:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.46:196:41
212.36:206:40
312.36:206:40
412.36:206:39
512.36:216:38
612.36:216:38
712.36:216:37
812.26:216:36
912.26:226:35
1012.26:226:35
1112.26:226:34
1212.26:226:33
1312.26:226:32
1412.26:236:32
1512.16:236:31
1612.16:236:30
1712.16:236:29
1812.16:236:29
1912.16:246:28
2012.16:246:27
2112.06:246:26
2212.06:246:25
2312.06:246:25
2412.06:256:24
2512.06:256:23
2612.06:256:22
2711.96:256:21
2811.96:256:21
2911.96:256:20
3011.96:266:19
3111.96:266:18

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.24 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 — March's 5.24 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Cairns

In seasonPeak

In March, 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 March a good time to visit Cairns?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Cairns for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cairns in March

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

In March, Cairns sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Cairns in March

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in March — 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 March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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.

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
March 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).