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Cairns in March

Queensland, Australia · Autumn Off-Peak
3.7/10
Comfort Score for March 2.5 below annual avg · 3.3 below national March avg
Ranked #186 of 213 cities for March comfort

March is right in the heart of autumn for Cairns, and the weather has a definite personality this time of year.

Expect the mercury to hit around 29.5 degrees during the day and settle at 23.8 degrees after dark. The temperature stays pretty consistent through the day. The warmth sticks around even after dark.

At 29.5 degrees, March runs 1.2 degrees above Cairns's annual average of 28.3 degrees.

You're looking at 514mm of rain across 26 days in a typical March. When it rains here, it means it.

Solar exposure averages 17.2 MJ/m2 per day in March, with UV levels in the very high range. You'll want SPF 50+ and a decent hat.

With a Comfort Score of 3.7/10, March is not the most comfortable time to visit.

For your suitcase: a mix of short and long sleeves, a rain jacket or compact umbrella, and serious sun protection.

The sea breeze usually kicks in by early afternoon in March, which is genuinely welcome. It can knock 3 to 5 degrees off the feels-like temperature.

Scroll down for the detailed climate data, or explore what nearby cities are like in March.

March at a Glance

Average High ▲
29.5°C
Daily maximum
1.2° above annual avg, 2.2° vs national avg
Average Low ▲
23.8°C
Overnight minimum
2.8° above annual avg, 5.9° vs national avg
Rainfall ▲
514mm
26 rain days
314.5mm above annual avg, 426.3mm vs national avg
Rain Probability
84%
Daily chance of rain
Solar Exposure
17.2
MJ/m2 per day
Humidity
72%
High
Comfort ▼
3.7/10
Tough

Temperature Range

23.8°C
29.5°C

Daily temperature range in March. The bar shows the typical spread between overnight lows and afternoon highs.

What to Pack

Coming From Overseas?

How March in Cairns stacks up against major cities around the world.

London
About 18 degrees warmer and considerably wetter.
New York
About 20 degrees warmer and considerably wetter.
Tokyo
About 16 degrees warmer and considerably wetter.

How March Compares

Cairns's monthly climate at a glance. March is highlighted.

Month Max Min Rain Comfort
Jan 31.2 24.5 689mm 2.9
Feb 30.5 24.3 316mm 3.4
Mar 29.5 23.8 514mm 3.7
Apr 28.6 22.1 121mm 5.4
May 26.1 20.6 82mm 6.9
Jun 25.9 16.7 18mm 9.0
Jul 24.6 16.9 66mm 9.2
Aug 25.6 17.8 61mm 8.6
Sep 27.1 19.1 60mm 7.9
Oct 29.1 20.5 25mm 7.3
Nov 30.2 21.7 61mm 6.1
Dec 30.9 23.6 379mm 3.5

March in Other Australian Cities

Sydney in March25.5°C, 59mm Melbourne in March24.8°C, 20mm Brisbane in March27.0°C, 175mm Perth in March29.3°C, 4mm Adelaide in March27.9°C, 1mm Gold Coast in March26.3°C, 214mm Newcastle in March25.2°C, 40mm Canberra in March25.1°C, 22mm Sunshine Coast in March26.5°C, 246mm Wollongong in March24.2°C, 88mm Hobart in March21.4°C, 15mm Geelong in March25.3°C, 16mm Townsville in March29.6°C, 146mm Darwin in March30.0°C, 356mm Toowoomba in March24.9°C, 82mm Ballarat in March23.5°C, 10mm Bendigo in March27.0°C, 2mm Albury in March28.4°C, 11mm Launceston in March23.7°C, 18mm Mackay in March28.1°C, 142mm Rockhampton in March30.4°C, 118mm Bundaberg in March28.1°C, 157mm Bunbury in March27.8°C, 6mm Coffs Harbour in March25.4°C, 147mm Wagga Wagga in March29.5°C, 22mm Hervey Bay in March27.8°C, 192mm Shepparton in March28.5°C, 10mm Tamworth in March29.0°C, 26mm Port Macquarie in March25.2°C, 126mm Orange in March23.1°C, 32mm Dubbo in March29.4°C, 37mm Warrnambool in March21.9°C, 15mm Mildura in March30.9°C, 7mm Gladstone in March28.8°C, 98mm Bathurst in March24.7°C, 34mm Geraldton in March31.2°C, 1mm Mount Gambier in March24.5°C, 8mm Nowra in March24.7°C, 46mm Alice Springs in March30.6°C, 160mm Traralgon in March25.5°C, 20mm Lismore in March26.6°C, 131mm Caloundra in March26.5°C, 253mm Armidale in March22.2°C, 38mm Albany in March23.3°C, 13mm Kalgoorlie in March26.1°C, 45mm Emerald in March31.8°C, 48mm Broken Hill in March30.7°C, 25mm Grafton in March26.9°C, 92mm Whyalla in March30.5°C, 9mm Murray Bridge in March28.6°C, 3mm Port Augusta in March33.1°C, 20mm Port Lincoln in March24.8°C, 4mm Port Pirie in March30.9°C, 5mm Victor Harbor in March23.4°C, 14mm Mount Isa in March31.9°C, 113mm Longreach in March34.8°C, 44mm Roma in March30.0°C, 102mm Charleville in March31.3°C, 129mm Broome in March30.5°C, 169mm Karratha in March36.1°C, 20mm Port Hedland in March34.8°C, 34mm Esperance in March23.0°C, 34mm Carnarvon in March34.6°C, 25mm Exmouth in March34.9°C, 6mm Mandurah in March28.4°C, 9mm Rockingham in March28.4°C, 31mm Margaret River in March25.2°C, 5mm Griffith in March30.8°C, 26mm Mudgee in March26.4°C, 26mm Maitland in March27.9°C, 34mm Cessnock in March26.9°C, 51mm Tweed Heads in March25.8°C, 236mm Forster in March25.6°C, 64mm Byron Bay in March26.0°C, 162mm Kiama in March24.4°C, 68mm Katoomba in March21.3°C, 53mm Moree in March31.5°C, 35mm Inverell in March27.1°C, 30mm Cooma in March23.5°C, 18mm Young in March27.0°C, 13mm Parkes in March28.8°C, 31mm Forbes in March29.8°C, 35mm Cowra in March28.7°C, 30mm Goulburn in March24.5°C, 19mm Lithgow in March22.3°C, 46mm Singleton in March28.6°C, 28mm Muswellbrook in March27.5°C, 30mm Narrabri in March31.8°C, 22mm Bourke in March32.8°C, 26mm Lightning Ridge in March32.6°C, 32mm Hay in March30.6°C, 44mm Deniliquin in March30.5°C, 4mm Jindabyne in March22.6°C, 22mm Batemans Bay in March23.9°C, 99mm Ulladulla in March23.6°C, 75mm Merimbula in March22.5°C, 57mm Wodonga in March28.4°C, 7mm Wangaratta in March29.5°C, 9mm Echuca in March29.8°C, 1mm Horsham in March27.8°C, 5mm Hamilton in March24.8°C, 10mm Colac in March24.1°C, 8mm Sale in March24.7°C, 28mm Bairnsdale in March24.5°C, 41mm Lakes Entrance in March22.9°C, 50mm Swan Hill in March30.0°C, 3mm Portland in March21.9°C, 14mm Benalla in March28.8°C, 26mm Wonthaggi in March22.4°C, 17mm Lorne in March22.7°C, 9mm Bright in March27.9°C, 13mm Falls Creek in March17.3°C, 26mm Noosa in March26.2°C, 261mm Maryborough in March27.9°C, 183mm Gympie in March27.0°C, 138mm Warwick in March26.3°C, 89mm Dalby in March28.3°C, 63mm Kingaroy in March25.6°C, 113mm Biloela in March30.2°C, 72mm Yeppoon in March28.1°C, 214mm Bowen in March29.7°C, 88mm Ayr in March30.2°C, 144mm Innisfail in March29.2°C, 790mm Atherton in March25.8°C, 245mm Port Douglas in March28.7°C, 630mm Cooktown in March29.1°C, 510mm Weipa in March31.2°C, 488mm Charters Towers in March29.7°C, 114mm Cloncurry in March32.7°C, 84mm Winton in March34.0°C, 44mm Birdsville in March35.1°C, 69mm Stanthorpe in March23.4°C, 52mm Ceduna in March28.6°C, 11mm Coober Pedy in March34.6°C, 11mm Renmark in March30.8°C, 25mm Berri in March30.6°C, 15mm Clare in March27.8°C, 17mm Barossa Valley in March28.5°C, 6mm Goolwa in March25.3°C, 10mm Kingscote in March25.4°C, 5mm Naracoorte in March27.2°C, 5mm Devonport in March21.3°C, 25mm Burnie in March20.7°C, 33mm Ulverstone in March20.4°C, 28mm St Helens in March21.5°C, 35mm Strahan in March18.3°C, 96mm Cradle Mountain in March14.3°C, 96mm Swansea in March22.6°C, 24mm Queenstown in March18.9°C, 132mm Katherine in March32.9°C, 268mm Tennant Creek in March31.1°C, 304mm Nhulunbuy in March29.9°C, 336mm Yulara in March32.4°C, 70mm Kununurra in March32.2°C, 365mm Newman in March32.3°C, 138mm Tom Price in March33.6°C, 90mm Meekatharra in March32.2°C, 33mm Northam in March29.1°C, 14mm Katanning in March25.9°C, 11mm Denmark in March22.9°C, 16mm Dunsborough in March26.5°C, 12mm Penrith in March27.0°C, 54mm Richmond in March27.7°C, 40mm Campbelltown in March26.5°C, 37mm Gosford in March25.9°C, 40mm Sunbury in March24.0°C, 10mm Bacchus Marsh in March25.2°C, 12mm Ocean Grove in March23.7°C, 11mm Torquay in March23.8°C, 8mm Phillip Island in March22.3°C, 14mm Daylesford in March22.7°C, 4mm Airlie Beach in March28.0°C, 139mm Mission Beach in March28.1°C, 659mm Seventeen Seventy in March27.9°C, 170mm Agnes Water in March27.7°C, 170mm Rainbow Beach in March26.8°C, 246mm Coolangatta in March25.8°C, 236mm Surfers Paradise in March26.3°C, 214mm Thredbo in March17.6°C, 38mm Perisher in March18.0°C, 41mm Nelson Bay in March26.7°C, 72mm Terrigal in March25.0°C, 43mm Lennox Head in March25.7°C, 158mm Yamba in March26.0°C, 103mm Narooma in March23.6°C, 83mm Eden in March22.8°C, 58mm Coral Bay in March34.3°C, 62mm Monkey Mia in March35.2°C, 6mm Kalbarri in March33.1°C, 4mm Jurien Bay in March31.0°C, 2mm Busselton in March28.1°C, 11mm Walpole in March22.8°C, 15mm McLaren Vale in March26.8°C, 3mm Hahndorf in March25.2°C, 8mm Robe in March22.5°C, 12mm Jabiru in March32.4°C, 432mm Mataranka in March32.1°C, 253mm Bicheno in March20.6°C, 33mm Bruny Island in March19.2°C, 38mm Port Arthur in March19.6°C, 29mm White Cliffs in March32.7°C, 61mm Tibooburra in March33.7°C, 104mm Oodnadatta in March36.5°C, 23mm Marree in March36.0°C, 4mm Marble Bar in March36.6°C, 75mm Halls Creek in March31.0°C, 190mm Fitzroy Crossing in March33.7°C, 156mm Wyndham in March32.5°C, 453mm Thursday Island in March29.8°C, 588mm Norfolk Island in March23.0°C, 23mm Christmas Island in March27.0°C, 175mm Lord Howe Island in March23.2°C, 30mm

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