Port Douglas weather in December

In December, Port Douglas sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 203 mm of rain across 18.8 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-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 29% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of December to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Port Douglas's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Douglas's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
24°
10th coldest
Rainfall
203 mm
18.8 wet days
Daylight
13 hours
5:45 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
60%
9th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Port Douglas is town in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical December day in Port Douglas reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°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 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12724
22724
32724
42724
52724
62724
72724
82824
92824
102824
112824
122824
132824
142824
152824
162824
172824
182824
192824
202824
212824
222824
232824
242824
252825
262825
272825
282825
292825
302825
312825

How December really feels in Port Douglas

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Port Douglas weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 25°33623.312.94.2
Feb28° / 25°33222.512.64.0
Mar27° / 24°3222212.14.6
Apr26° / 23°15817.711.65.5
May24° / 21°7313.611.26.4
Jun23° / 20°5711.7116.6
Jul22° / 19°5210.311.16.8
Aug22° / 19°479.111.47.1
Sep24° / 20°287.311.97.6
Oct25° / 22°5710.112.47.1
Nov27° / 23°9414.412.86.1
Dec28° / 24°20318.8135.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16238
26238
36238
46139
56139
66040
75941
85842
95743
105743
115545
125446
135347
145248
155050
164951
174951
184753
194654
204456
214456
224357
234159
244159
254159
263961
273961
283961
293961
303961
313862

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Port Douglas gets around 203 mm of rain over 18.8 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 60% and peaks near 69% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
154
254
354
454
555
655
755
856
956
1057
1157
1257
1358
1459
1559
1660
1760
1861
1962
2063
2163
2264
2364
2465
2565
2666
2767
2867
2968
3069
3169

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 69% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1256411
2246511
3236512
4226513
5216613
6206614
7206614
8196615
9186715
10176815
11166816
12156916
13156916
14147016
15147016
16137116
17137116
18127216
19127216
20127117
21117217
22117217
23107218
24107218
25107218
2697219
2797219
2897219
2987220
3087220
3177221

Wind in December

Winds average 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of December to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:41 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 6:35 PM to 6:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:416:35
212.95:416:36
312.95:416:36
412.95:416:37
512.95:416:38
612.95:426:38
712.95:426:39
813.05:426:39
913.05:426:40
1013.05:436:40
1113.05:436:41
1213.05:436:41
1313.05:446:42
1413.05:446:43
1513.05:456:43
1613.05:456:44
1713.05:456:44
1813.05:466:45
1913.05:466:45
2013.05:476:46
2113.05:476:46
2213.05:486:47
2313.05:486:47
2413.05:496:48
2513.05:496:48
2613.05:506:48
2713.05:506:49
2813.05:516:49
2913.05:516:50
3013.05:526:50
3113.05:526:50

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.41 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.94 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in November across the year — December's 6.41 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.7Intense
36.7Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.6Intense
106.6Intense
116.6Intense
126.6Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Port Douglas

In seasonPeak

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

Port Douglas sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Port Douglas's monsoon runs December–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Port Douglas?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Port Douglas for sightseeing.

What to pack for Port Douglas in December

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

In December, Port Douglas sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Port Douglas in December

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 21 km away) is warmest in February at about 29°C and coldest in July near 24°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

22°24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr27Warm
May26Warm
Jun24Warm
Jul24Refreshing
Aug24Refreshing
Sep25Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov27Warm
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Port Douglas in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks 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 Port Douglas peaks around February 12 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 8 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 12UV 16Jun 21UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Port Douglas?

Port Douglas sits at 16.5°S, 145.5°E, 0 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Cairns, 58 km away.

TownsvilleKirwanAirlie BeachMackayMount IsaPort MoresbyDaru

Topography around Port Douglas

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Port Douglas.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Port Douglas has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 75 m around an average of 2 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,038 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,372 m.

The land around Port Douglas is covered by water (69%) and mangroves (21%) within 3 km, water (55%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and trees (45%) and water (41%) within 80 km.

3 km
75 m
16 km
1,038 m
80 km
1,372 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
December weather nearby: Cairns 58 km · Townsville 340 km · Kirwan 341 km · Airlie Beach 543 km · Mackay 649 km · Mount Isa 786 km · Port Moresby 800 km · Daru 859 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 Port Douglas (-16.4838°, 145.4673°, elevation 0 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).