Townsville weather in December

In December, Townsville sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 88 mm of rain across 12.6 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of December to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Townsville's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Townsville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
1st warmest
Overnight low
24°
10th coldest
Rainfall
88 mm
12.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
5:34 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
53%
9th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Townsville is city in Queensland, Australia.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,436/km²
people per km²
Founded
1865

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 31°C through the month.

A typical December day in Townsville reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13124
23124
33124
43124
53124
63124
73124
83124
93124
103124
113124
123124
133124
143124
153124
163124
173124
183124
193124
203124
213125
223125
233125
243125
253125
263125
273125
283125
293125
303125
313125

How December really feels in Townsville

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Townsville weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 1st-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 25°20816.6133.7
Feb31° / 25°21817.612.73.6
Mar30° / 23°12712.712.14.5
Apr29° / 21°496.911.65.9
May27° / 19°294.911.17.4
Jun25° / 16°203.810.98.1
Jul25° / 15°162.7118.4
Aug26° / 16°152.211.38.3
Sep28° / 18°103.311.97.6
Oct29° / 21°225.112.46.3
Nov30° / 23°47812.95.2
Dec31° / 24°8812.613.14.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26832
36832
46733
56634
66634
76634
86535
96436
106436
116337
126238
136139
146139
156040
165941
175941
185941
195842
205842
215743
225743
235644
245644
255644
265644
275545
285545
295545
305545
315545

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Townsville gets around 88 mm of rain over 12.6 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 40% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
333
434
534
635
735
836
936
1037
1137
1238
1338
1439
1539
1640
1741
1841
1942
2043
2143
2244
2345
2445
2546
2646
2747
2847
2947
3048
3148

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 47% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11844426
21743436
30743437
40642448
50642448
60541459
704414510
804404510
904404611
1003404612
1103404512
1203404512
1303404513
1402404413
1502404413
1602404413
1702404513
1802394513
1902384614
2002384714
2102374714
2202364814
2302354914
2402344915
2502335015
2602325115
2701315216
2801305316
2901295317
3001275418
3101265518

Wind in December

Winds average 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 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
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min at the start of December to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:30 AM to 5:42 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)
113.15:306:35
213.15:306:35
313.15:316:36
413.15:316:37
513.15:316:37
613.15:316:38
713.15:316:39
813.15:326:39
913.15:326:40
1013.15:326:40
1113.15:336:41
1213.15:336:41
1313.15:336:42
1413.15:346:43
1513.25:346:43
1613.25:346:44
1713.25:356:44
1813.25:356:45
1913.25:366:45
2013.25:366:46
2113.25:366:46
2213.25:376:47
2313.25:376:47
2413.25:386:48
2513.25:386:48
2613.25:396:48
2713.25:396:49
2813.25:406:49
2913.25:406:50
3013.15:416:50
3113.15:426:50

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.44 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.8 kWh/m² to a high of 6.5 kWh/m² in November across the year — December's 6.44 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.6Intense
106.6Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.4Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Townsville

In seasonPeak

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

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

Townsville's monsoon runs January–March, 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 Townsville?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Townsville for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Townsville in December

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

In December, Townsville sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Townsville in December

The nearest coast averages about 28°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 17 km away) is warmest in February at about 29°C and coldest in July near 22°C.

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

20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar28Tropical
Apr27Warm
May25Warm
Jun23Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep24Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov27Warm
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Townsville 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 Townsville peaks around February 9 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highVery highExtremeFeb 9UV 16Jun 20UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Townsville?

Townsville sits at 19.3°S, 146.8°E, 15 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Kirwan, 9.0 km away.

CairnsMackayPort DouglasRockhamptonGladstoneMount Isa

Topography around Townsville

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Townsville has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 270 m around an average of 14 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 582 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,212 m.

The land around Townsville is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) within 3 km, water (35%), trees (27%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and water (39%) and trees (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
270 m
16 km
582 m
80 km
1,212 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
December weather nearby: Kirwan 9.0 km · Airlie Beach 229 km · Cairns 283 km · Mackay 324 km · Port Douglas 340 km · Rockhampton 597 km · Gladstone 687 km · Mount Isa 781 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 Townsville (-19.2664°, 146.8057°, elevation 15 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).