Cairns weather in November

In November, Cairns sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 57 mm of rain across 10.4 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in November, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of November to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, November is Cairns's 4th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cairns's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
22°
8th coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:38 AM – 6:26 PM
Cloud cover
47%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
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 November

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical November day in Cairns reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°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, November runs about 1°C warmer than October and about 1°C cooler than December.

15°20°25°30°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12621
22721
32721
42721
52721
62721
72721
82721
92721
102722
112722
122722
132722
142722
152722
162722
172722
182722
192722
202722
212722
222722
232722
242722
252822
262822
272822
282822
292822
302822

How November really feels in Cairns

Once humidity and wind are folded in, November 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

November 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 November compares with the rest of the year at a glance. November is the 5th-warmest and 6th-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 November

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in November.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of November, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27723
37723
47624
57525
67426
77426
87426
97228
107228
117129
127129
137030
147030
156931
166832
176733
186733
196535
206535
216535
226436
236337
246337
256337
266238
276238
286238
296238
306238

Chance of precipitation in November

Any precipitation

Cairns gets around 57 mm of rain over 10.4 wet days in November. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
120
221
322
423
524
625
727
828
929
1030
1131
1232
1333
1435
1536
1637
1737
1838
1939
2039
2140
2241
2341
2442
2542
2643
2743
2843
2943
3044

Humidity in November

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, November lands in the muggy band about 54% 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 (%)
112062170
201864180
301764190
401665190
501565200
601465210
701365220
801265230
901263250
1001163260
1101161280
1201160290
1301158310
1401056331
1501055341
1601054351
1701052371
180952381
190951391
200950401
210849411
220848421
230847442
240746452
250745472
260644482
270643492
280542512
290541522
300540532

Wind in November

Winds average 10 km/h in November.

Across November, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm

Sunrise & sunset in November

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of November to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over November. Sunrise moves from 5:42 AM to 5:38 AM, and sunset from 6:19 PM to 6:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:426:19
212.65:416:20
312.65:416:20
412.75:416:20
512.75:406:21
612.75:406:21
712.75:406:22
812.75:406:22
912.75:396:23
1012.75:396:23
1112.75:396:24
1212.85:396:24
1312.85:386:25
1412.85:386:25
1512.85:386:26
1612.85:386:26
1712.85:386:27
1812.85:386:27
1912.85:386:28
2012.85:386:29
2112.95:386:29
2212.95:386:30
2312.95:386:30
2412.95:386:31
2512.95:386:31
2612.95:386:32
2712.95:386:33
2812.95:386:33
2912.95:386:34
3012.95:386:34

Solar energy in November

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in November, about 6.68 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — November's 6.68 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.8Intense
86.8Intense
96.8Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.7Intense
186.7Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
Planning a trip in November

Hazard calendar for Cairns

In seasonPeak

In November, 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 November a good time to visit Cairns?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

November 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 November

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

In November, Cairns sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Cairns in November

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in November — 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 November

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in November peaks around 13 (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
November 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).