Mackay weather in August
In August, Mackay sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 25 mm of rain across 4.3 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.
Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in August, and the air most often feels comfortable.
Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of August to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Mackay's 2nd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mackay's year-round climate.
- Daytime high
- 22°
- 11th warmest
- Overnight low
- 17°
- 2nd coldest
- Rainfall
- 25 mm
- 4.3 wet days
- Daylight
- 11 h 18 min
- 6:29 AM – 5:46 PM
- Cloud cover
- 29%
- 2nd clearest
- Wind
- 15 km/h
- 12th windiest
- Solar energy
- 4.69 kWh/m²
- Travel score
- 8.1
- out of 10
Mackay is city in Queensland, Australia.
- Air quality
- Good
- PM10 24.1 µg/m³ · 2019
- Founded
- 1875
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Temperature in August
Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month.
A typical August day in Mackay reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 2°C cooler than September.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Avg low (°C) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | 16 |
| 2 | 21 | 16 |
| 3 | 21 | 16 |
| 4 | 21 | 16 |
| 5 | 21 | 16 |
| 6 | 21 | 16 |
| 7 | 21 | 16 |
| 8 | 21 | 16 |
| 9 | 21 | 16 |
| 10 | 21 | 16 |
| 11 | 21 | 16 |
| 12 | 21 | 16 |
| 13 | 21 | 16 |
| 14 | 21 | 16 |
| 15 | 21 | 16 |
| 16 | 22 | 16 |
| 17 | 22 | 16 |
| 18 | 22 | 16 |
| 19 | 22 | 17 |
| 20 | 22 | 17 |
| 21 | 22 | 17 |
| 22 | 22 | 17 |
| 23 | 22 | 17 |
| 24 | 22 | 17 |
| 25 | 22 | 17 |
| 26 | 22 | 17 |
| 27 | 22 | 17 |
| 28 | 22 | 17 |
| 29 | 22 | 18 |
| 30 | 22 | 18 |
| 31 | 22 | 18 |
Mackay weather by month
How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28° / 25° | 214 | 15.8 | 13.1 | 5.5 |
| Feb | 28° / 25° | 224 | 17.2 | 12.7 | 5.0 |
| Mar | 27° / 24° | 171 | 15.2 | 12.1 | 5.8 |
| Apr | 26° / 22° | 89 | 13 | 11.5 | 6.5 |
| May | 24° / 19° | 54 | 10.6 | 11 | 7.1 |
| Jun | 22° / 17° | 43 | 7.8 | 10.7 | 7.4 |
| Jul | 21° / 16° | 32 | 4.3 | 10.8 | 7.8 |
| Aug | 22° / 17° | 25 | 4.3 | 11.3 | 8.1 |
| Sep | 23° / 19° | 16 | 3.5 | 11.9 | 8.6 |
| Oct | 25° / 21° | 34 | 6 | 12.5 | 8.1 |
| Nov | 27° / 23° | 64 | 8.4 | 13 | 7.3 |
| Dec | 28° / 24° | 117 | 11.6 | 13.3 | 6.4 |
Cloud cover in August
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in August.
Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 13%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 88 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 84 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 82 |
| Cloudier (%) | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88 | 12 |
| 2 | 89 | 11 |
| 3 | 89 | 11 |
| 4 | 89 | 11 |
| 5 | 89 | 11 |
| 6 | 89 | 11 |
| 7 | 89 | 11 |
| 8 | 89 | 11 |
| 9 | 89 | 11 |
| 10 | 89 | 11 |
| 11 | 89 | 11 |
| 12 | 89 | 11 |
| 13 | 89 | 11 |
| 14 | 89 | 11 |
| 15 | 89 | 11 |
| 16 | 89 | 11 |
| 17 | 88 | 12 |
| 18 | 88 | 12 |
| 19 | 87 | 13 |
| 20 | 87 | 13 |
| 21 | 86 | 14 |
| 22 | 85 | 15 |
| 23 | 85 | 15 |
| 24 | 85 | 15 |
| 25 | 84 | 16 |
| 26 | 84 | 16 |
| 27 | 83 | 17 |
| 28 | 82 | 18 |
| 29 | 82 | 18 |
| 30 | 82 | 18 |
| 31 | 82 | 18 |
Chance of precipitation in August
Mackay gets around 25 mm of rain over 4.3 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 13% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain chance (%) | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Rain chance (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 13 |
| 2 | 13 |
| 3 | 13 |
| 4 | 13 |
| 5 | 13 |
| 6 | 13 |
| 7 | 13 |
| 8 | 13 |
| 9 | 12 |
| 10 | 12 |
| 11 | 12 |
| 12 | 12 |
| 13 | 11 |
| 14 | 11 |
| 15 | 11 |
| 16 | 11 |
| 17 | 11 |
| 18 | 11 |
| 19 | 11 |
| 20 | 12 |
| 21 | 12 |
| 22 | 13 |
| 23 | 14 |
| 24 | 14 |
| 25 | 15 |
| 26 | 16 |
| 27 | 16 |
| 28 | 17 |
| 29 | 17 |
| 30 | 17 |
| 31 | 17 |
Humidity in August
Most of August feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
By dew point, August lands in the comfortable band about 40% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
| Comfortable (%) | 42 | 42 | 42 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 39 | 38 | 37 | 37 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 35 | 35 |
| Humid (%) | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 34 |
| Muggy (%) | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 | 42 | 23 | 5 |
| 2 | 30 | 42 | 23 | 4 |
| 3 | 30 | 42 | 23 | 4 |
| 4 | 30 | 43 | 23 | 4 |
| 5 | 30 | 43 | 23 | 4 |
| 6 | 30 | 43 | 24 | 3 |
| 7 | 30 | 43 | 24 | 3 |
| 8 | 30 | 43 | 25 | 3 |
| 9 | 29 | 42 | 25 | 3 |
| 10 | 29 | 42 | 26 | 3 |
| 11 | 29 | 42 | 26 | 3 |
| 12 | 29 | 42 | 26 | 3 |
| 13 | 28 | 42 | 26 | 4 |
| 14 | 28 | 42 | 26 | 4 |
| 15 | 28 | 41 | 27 | 4 |
| 16 | 27 | 41 | 27 | 5 |
| 17 | 26 | 41 | 27 | 6 |
| 18 | 25 | 41 | 28 | 6 |
| 19 | 24 | 40 | 28 | 7 |
| 20 | 23 | 40 | 29 | 8 |
| 21 | 22 | 40 | 30 | 9 |
| 22 | 21 | 39 | 30 | 9 |
| 23 | 20 | 39 | 31 | 10 |
| 24 | 20 | 38 | 31 | 11 |
| 25 | 19 | 37 | 32 | 12 |
| 26 | 18 | 37 | 32 | 13 |
| 27 | 17 | 36 | 33 | 14 |
| 28 | 16 | 36 | 33 | 15 |
| 29 | 15 | 36 | 34 | 15 |
| 30 | 14 | 35 | 34 | 16 |
| 31 | 14 | 35 | 34 | 17 |
Wind in August
Winds average 15 km/h in August, the calmest month.
Across August, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | light breeze |
| 2 | 14 | light breeze |
| 3 | 14 | light breeze |
| 4 | 14 | light breeze |
| 5 | 14 | light breeze |
| 6 | 14 | light breeze |
| 7 | 14 | light breeze |
| 8 | 14 | light breeze |
| 9 | 14 | light breeze |
| 10 | 14 | light breeze |
| 11 | 14 | light breeze |
| 12 | 14 | light breeze |
| 13 | 14 | light breeze |
| 14 | 14 | light breeze |
| 15 | 14 | light breeze |
| 16 | 14 | light breeze |
| 17 | 14 | light breeze |
| 18 | 14 | light breeze |
| 19 | 14 | light breeze |
| 20 | 14 | light breeze |
| 21 | 15 | light breeze |
| 22 | 15 | light breeze |
| 23 | 15 | light breeze |
| 24 | 15 | light breeze |
| 25 | 15 | light breeze |
| 26 | 15 | light breeze |
| 27 | 15 | light breeze |
| 28 | 15 | light breeze |
| 29 | 15 | light breeze |
| 30 | 15 | light breeze |
| 31 | 15 | light breeze |
Sunrise & sunset in August
Daylight runs from about 11 hours at the start of August to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Days grow by about 36 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:39 AM to 6:17 AM, and sunset from 5:40 PM to 5:50 PM.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.6 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:39 | 6:38 | 6:38 | 6:37 | 6:37 | 6:36 | 6:35 | 6:35 | 6:34 | 6:34 | 6:33 | 6:32 | 6:32 | 6:31 | 6:30 | 6:29 | 6:29 | 6:28 | 6:27 | 6:26 | 6:25 | 6:25 | 6:24 | 6:23 | 6:22 | 6:21 | 6:20 | 6:19 | 6:19 | 6:18 | 6:17 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:40 | 5:40 | 5:41 | 5:41 | 5:42 | 5:42 | 5:42 | 5:43 | 5:43 | 5:43 | 5:44 | 5:44 | 5:45 | 5:45 | 5:45 | 5:46 | 5:46 | 5:46 | 5:46 | 5:47 | 5:47 | 5:47 | 5:48 | 5:48 | 5:48 | 5:49 | 5:49 | 5:49 | 5:49 | 5:50 | 5:50 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11.0 | 6:39 | 5:40 |
| 2 | 11.0 | 6:38 | 5:40 |
| 3 | 11.1 | 6:38 | 5:41 |
| 4 | 11.1 | 6:37 | 5:41 |
| 5 | 11.1 | 6:37 | 5:42 |
| 6 | 11.1 | 6:36 | 5:42 |
| 7 | 11.1 | 6:35 | 5:42 |
| 8 | 11.1 | 6:35 | 5:43 |
| 9 | 11.1 | 6:34 | 5:43 |
| 10 | 11.2 | 6:34 | 5:43 |
| 11 | 11.2 | 6:33 | 5:44 |
| 12 | 11.2 | 6:32 | 5:44 |
| 13 | 11.2 | 6:32 | 5:45 |
| 14 | 11.2 | 6:31 | 5:45 |
| 15 | 11.3 | 6:30 | 5:45 |
| 16 | 11.3 | 6:29 | 5:46 |
| 17 | 11.3 | 6:29 | 5:46 |
| 18 | 11.3 | 6:28 | 5:46 |
| 19 | 11.3 | 6:27 | 5:46 |
| 20 | 11.3 | 6:26 | 5:47 |
| 21 | 11.4 | 6:25 | 5:47 |
| 22 | 11.4 | 6:25 | 5:47 |
| 23 | 11.4 | 6:24 | 5:48 |
| 24 | 11.4 | 6:23 | 5:48 |
| 25 | 11.4 | 6:22 | 5:48 |
| 26 | 11.5 | 6:21 | 5:49 |
| 27 | 11.5 | 6:20 | 5:49 |
| 28 | 11.5 | 6:19 | 5:49 |
| 29 | 11.5 | 6:19 | 5:49 |
| 30 | 11.5 | 6:18 | 5:50 |
| 31 | 11.6 | 6:17 | 5:50 |
Solar energy in August
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4.69 kWh/m².
For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.61 kWh/m² to a high of 6.65 kWh/m² in November across the year — August's 4.69 kWh/m² falls in the middle.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.3 | Bright |
| 2 | 4.4 | Bright |
| 3 | 4.4 | Bright |
| 4 | 4.4 | Bright |
| 5 | 4.5 | Bright |
| 6 | 4.5 | Bright |
| 7 | 4.5 | Bright |
| 8 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 9 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 10 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 11 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 12 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 13 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 14 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 15 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 16 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 17 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 18 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 19 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 20 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 21 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 22 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 23 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 24 | 4.9 | Bright |
| 25 | 4.9 | Bright |
| 26 | 4.9 | Bright |
| 27 | 4.9 | Bright |
| 28 | 4.9 | Bright |
| 29 | 5.0 | Bright |
| 30 | 5.0 | Bright |
| 31 | 5.0 | Bright |
Hazard calendar for Mackay
None of Mackay's seasonal hazards are active in August. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.
Mackay sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.
Mackay's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is August a good time to visit Mackay?
Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).
August is one of the better times to visit Mackay for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Mackay in August
From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In August, Mackay sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: sun protection. About 4 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Mackay in August
The nearest coast averages about 21°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 22 km away) is warmest in February at about 28°C and coldest in July 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) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 28 |
| Comfort | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | Tropical |
| Feb | 28 | Tropical |
| Mar | 28 | Warm |
| Apr | 26 | Warm |
| May | 24 | Warm |
| Jun | 22 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 21 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 21 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 23 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 25 | Warm |
| Nov | 26 | Warm |
| Dec | 28 | Warm |
UV index in Mackay in August
Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mackay peaks around February 10 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 7 (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) | 15 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 16 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 7 | High |
| Jul | 7 | High |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 10 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
Where is Mackay?
Mackay sits at 21.2°S, 149.2°E, 11 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Airlie Beach, 109 km away.
Topography around Mackay
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Mackay.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Mackay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 17 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 300 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,248 m.
The land around Mackay is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, water (35%) within 16 km, and water (52%) and trees (32%) 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 Mackay (-21.1534°, 149.1655°, elevation 11 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).