Cairns in Spring
In spring (September, October and November), Cairns sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 103 mm of rain over about 21 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 24°C in early September to 28°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels muggy.
Spring is Cairns's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Cairns's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 20°C
- Rainfall
- 103 mm
- 21 wet days
- Avg wind
- 11 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.5
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Cairns in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 24°C in early September to 28°C by late November.
A typical spring day in Cairns reaches about 26°C and drops to 20°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is November, the coolest September.
How spring really feels in Cairns
Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
spring 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 the three spring months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| 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 Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Cairns gets around 103 mm of rain over 21 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 11 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min in early September to 12 h 54 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 6.4 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Cairns
In spring, Cairns overlaps 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.
Is spring a good time to visit Cairns?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is one of the better times to visit Cairns for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Cairns in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Cairns sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 21 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Cairns in Spring
The nearest coast averages about 26°C across spring — 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 Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages 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.
| 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.