Mackay weather in October

In October, Mackay sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 34 mm of rain across 6 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time in October, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of October to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Mackay's 3rd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mackay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
7th warmest
Overnight low
21°
6th coldest
Rainfall
34 mm
6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
5:34 AM – 6:03 PM
Cloud cover
29%
3rd clearest
Wind
17 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.4 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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical October day in Mackay reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 2°C warmer than September and about 2°C cooler than November.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12420
22420
32420
42520
52521
62521
72521
82521
92521
102521
112521
122521
132521
142521
152521
162521
172521
182521
192521
202521
212522
222522
232522
242522
252522
262622
272622
282622
292622
302622
312622

Mackay weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 7th-warmest and 9th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 12%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1937
2937
3937
4937
5919
6919
7919
8919
99010
108911
118911
128812
138812
148614
158614
168614
178614
188515
198515
208515
218515
228515
238614
248614
258614
268713
278713
288812
298812
308812
318812

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Mackay gets around 34 mm of rain over 6 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 19% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
213
313
413
514
614
715
815
916
1017
1118
1218
1319
1420
1521
1621
1722
1822
1922
2022
2122
2223
2323
2423
2523
2623
2723
2824
2924
3024
3124

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the muggy band about 42% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 51% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
132040352
232039363
331938363
431938373
521937384
621836394
721836394
821736405
921735405
1021635415
1121635415
1221535426
1321535426
1421535426
1521434437
1621434437
1721433438
1821433439
1921432429
20214324310
21213314311
22112314312
23112304313
24111304414
25110294415
26110294516
2719294516
2818284617
2918274618
3007274718
3106274818

Wind in October

Winds average 17 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of October to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:47 AM to 5:24 AM, and sunset from 5:58 PM to 6:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.25:475:58
212.25:465:58
312.25:455:59
412.35:445:59
512.35:435:59
612.35:426:00
712.35:416:00
812.35:406:00
912.45:396:01
1012.45:386:01
1112.45:386:01
1212.45:376:02
1312.45:366:02
1412.55:356:02
1512.55:346:03
1612.55:346:03
1712.55:336:04
1812.55:326:04
1912.65:316:04
2012.65:316:05
2112.65:306:05
2212.65:296:06
2312.65:286:06
2412.65:286:07
2512.75:276:07
2612.75:276:08
2712.75:266:08
2812.75:256:09
2912.75:256:09
3012.85:246:10
3112.85:246:10

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.4 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 — October's 6.4 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Mackay

In seasonPeak

None of Mackay's seasonal hazards are active in October. 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.

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

Is October a good time to visit Mackay?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.3
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

October is one of the better times to visit Mackay for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Mackay in October

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

In October, Mackay sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 21°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 6 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Mackay in October

The nearest coast averages about 25°C in October — 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 October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 12 (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
October 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).