Mackay weather in January

In January, Mackay sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 214 mm of rain across 15.8 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-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 38% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of January to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mackay's 11th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mackay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
1st warmest
Overnight low
25°
11th coldest
Rainfall
214 mm
15.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
5:38 AM – 6:47 PM
Cloud cover
55%
11th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical January day in Mackay reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12825
22825
32825
42825
52825
62825
72825
82825
92825
102825
112825
122825
132825
142825
152825
162825
172825
182825
192825
202825
212825
222825
232825
242825
252825
262825
272825
282825
292825
302825
312825

Mackay weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 25°21415.813.15.5
Feb28° / 25°22417.212.75.0
Mar27° / 24°17115.212.15.8
Apr26° / 22°891311.56.5
May24° / 19°5410.6117.1
Jun22° / 17°437.810.77.4
Jul21° / 16°324.310.87.8
Aug22° / 17°254.311.38.1
Sep23° / 19°163.511.98.6
Oct25° / 21°34612.58.1
Nov27° / 23°648.4137.3
Dec28° / 24°11711.613.36.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26535
36436
46436
56436
66337
76337
86139
96139
106040
115941
125842
135842
145644
155644
165644
175545
185545
195446
205446
215347
225347
235347
245347
255347
265248
275248
285347
295347
305347
315248

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mackay gets around 214 mm of rain over 15.8 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 52% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
148
249
350
450
550
651
751
851
951
1051
1151
1250
1350
1450
1550
1650
1750
1850
1950
2050
2150
2251
2351
2452
2553
2654
2755
2856
2957
3058
3159

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 60% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
14265812
24255912
34246012
43246013
53236113
63236113
73236113
83246013
92246014
102246014
112255914
122255914
131256014
141255915
151265815
161255915
171255915
181255816
191245916
201235917
211225918
221215919
231196119
240186220
250176221
260166321
270156322
280146422
290136423
300136423
310136423

Wind in January

Winds average 18 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of January to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:29 AM to 5:48 AM, and sunset from 6:44 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:296:44
213.35:296:45
313.35:306:45
413.35:306:45
513.25:316:46
613.25:326:46
713.25:326:46
813.25:336:46
913.25:336:47
1013.25:346:47
1113.25:356:47
1213.25:356:47
1313.25:366:47
1413.25:376:47
1513.25:376:47
1613.25:386:47
1713.15:396:47
1813.15:396:47
1913.15:406:47
2013.15:416:47
2113.15:416:47
2213.15:426:47
2313.15:426:47
2413.15:436:47
2513.15:446:47
2613.05:446:47
2713.05:456:47
2813.05:466:46
2913.05:466:46
3013.05:476:46
3113.05:486:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.27 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 — January's 6.27 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mackay

In seasonPeak

In January, Mackay sits inside its cyclone and monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Mackay?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mackay for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mackay in January

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

In January, Mackay sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Mackay in January

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in January — 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.

20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Tropical
Feb28Tropical
Mar28Warm
Apr26Warm
May24Warm
Jun22Refreshing
Jul21Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct25Warm
Nov26Warm
Dec28Warm

UV index in Mackay in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeFeb 10UV 16Jun 23UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

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.

RockhamptonTownsvilleKirwanGladstoneBundabergHervey BayCairns

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.

3 km
17 m
16 km
300 m
80 km
1,248 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
January weather nearby: Airlie Beach 109 km · Rockhampton 283 km · Townsville 324 km · Kirwan 327 km · Gladstone 369 km · Bundaberg 526 km · Hervey Bay 589 km · Cairns 591 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 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).