Gold Coast in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Gold Coast sees average daytime highs around 25°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 390 mm of rain over about 37 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 25°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels muggy.
Summer is Gold Coast's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Gold Coast's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 25°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 23°C
- Rainfall
- 390 mm
- 37 wet days
- Avg wind
- 18 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.6
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Gold Coast in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 25°C.
A typical summer day in Gold Coast reaches about 25°C and drops to 23°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Gold Coast weather by month
How the three summer months (December, January and February) 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 | 25° / 23° | 131 | 12.7 | 13.6 | 6.6 |
| Feb | 25° / 23° | 150 | 13.6 | 13 | 6.2 |
| Mar | 25° / 22° | 116 | 15 | 12.2 | 6.4 |
| Apr | 23° / 20° | 73 | 12.2 | 11.4 | 6.7 |
| May | 21° / 18° | 97 | 10.7 | 10.6 | 6.7 |
| Jun | 19° / 16° | 94 | 9.5 | 10.3 | 6.6 |
| Jul | 19° / 15° | 48 | 6.3 | 10.4 | 7.1 |
| Aug | 19° / 15° | 47 | 5.6 | 11 | 7.4 |
| Sep | 21° / 17° | 40 | 5.8 | 11.8 | 7.5 |
| Oct | 22° / 19° | 75 | 8.7 | 12.7 | 7.2 |
| Nov | 23° / 20° | 82 | 9.2 | 13.4 | 7.1 |
| Dec | 24° / 22° | 109 | 11.1 | 13.7 | 7.0 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Gold Coast gets around 390 mm of rain over 37 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 18 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min in early December to 12 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 6.4 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Gold Coast
In summer, Gold Coast overlaps its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Gold Coast sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.
Is summer a good time to visit Gold Coast?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a reasonable time to visit Gold Coast for sightseeing.
What to pack for Gold Coast in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Gold Coast sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 23°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 37 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Gold Coast in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 26°C across summer — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 24 km away) is warmest in February at about 27°C and coldest in August near 21°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) | 26 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 26 | Warm |
| Apr | 25 | Warm |
| May | 24 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 23 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 21 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 21 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 21 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 23 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 24 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 25 | Warm |
UV index in Gold Coast in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer 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 Gold Coast peaks around January 23 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 4 (moderate).
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) | 14 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Extreme |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 5 | Moderate |
| Jun | 4 | Moderate |
| Jul | 4 | Moderate |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
Where is Gold Coast?
Gold Coast sits at 28.0°S, 153.4°E, 12 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Surfers Paradise, 0.0 km away.
Topography around Gold Coast
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Gold Coast.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Gold Coast has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 384 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,255 m.
The land around Gold Coast is covered by water (57%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 3 km, water (52%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and trees (40%) and water (36%) 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 Gold Coast (-28.0003°, 153.4309°, elevation 12 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.