Mackay in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Mackay sees average daytime highs around 21°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 100 mm of rain over about 16 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 21°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels comfortable.
Winter is Mackay's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Mackay's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 21°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 16°C
- Rainfall
- 100 mm
- 16 wet days
- Avg wind
- 15 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.8
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Mackay in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 21°C.
A typical winter day in Mackay reaches about 21°C and drops to 16°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is June, the coolest July.
Mackay weather by month
How the three winter months (June, July and August) 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° / 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 Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Mackay gets around 100 mm of rain over 16 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 15 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min in early June to 11 h 36 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Mackay
None of Mackay's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
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 winter a good time to visit Mackay?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit Mackay for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Mackay in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Mackay sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: sun protection. About 16 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Mackay in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 21°C across winter — 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 Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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.