What is the best time to visit Cairns?

Based on our Comfort Score analysis, July is the best month to visit Cairns, Queensland, scoring 9.2 out of 10 for pleasant weather conditions.

What is the Comfort Score for Cairns?

Cairns has an annual Comfort Score of 6.2/10, based on temperature, humidity, rainfall, UV exposure, and sunshine hours throughout the year.

How much rain does Cairns get?

Cairns receives approximately 2,391mm of rainfall per year, which is above the Australian national average of 876mm. The wettest month is January.

Cairns Weather and Climate

Queensland, Australia (16.92°S, 145.77°E, 7m elevation) Tropical monsoon (Am)

6.2/10

Good comfort year-round

Best month: July (9.2/10). Ranked #115 of 213 Australian cities. The RefDat Comfort Score weighs temperature, humidity, rainfall, and sunshine into a single 1-to-10 rating for how pleasant a climate actually feels.

How the score works →

Climate Dashboard

Comfort, seasonality and national benchmarks in one view.

Monthly Comfort Score

July is the sweet spot

July: 9.2/10. January: 2.9/10. Annual score 6.2/10, ranked #115 of 213 Australian cities.

Against national averages

Annual benchmarks

Temperature range

21.0 - 28.3°C

Days 4.5 degrees warmer; nights 6.7 degrees warmer

Annual rainfall

2,391mm

173% above national avg; national avg 876mm

Rain days

199 days/yr

94 more rain days than national avg

Solar exposure

18.8 MJ/m²

0.5 MJ/m² above national avg

Humidity

63%

15 points above national avg

Seasonal pattern

Four-season readout

Summer3.3/10

24.1 - 30.9°C

1384mm rain

Autumn5.3/10

22.2 - 28.1°C

716mm rain

Winter8.9/10

17.1 - 25.4°C

146mm rain

Spring7.1/10

20.4 - 28.8°C

145mm rain

Temperature

January has the warmest afternoons at 31.2 degrees. June has the coolest nights at 16.7 degrees.

Rainfall

2,391mm falls across 199 rain days. January is wettest (689mm), June driest (18mm), so monthly rainfall varies by about 37 times.

Comfort window

July scores 9.2/10 and is the best month for pleasant weather. January is the hardest month at 2.9/10.

Planning cue

Use the comfort chart first if you are timing a visit. Use the benchmark bars when you want to compare Cairns with the national climate baseline.

Monthly Climate Averages

Month	Max °C	Min °C	Rain mm	Rain Days	Solar MJ	Humidity %	Comfort

Weather by Month

Detailed climate data, packing advice, and what to expect for each month in Cairns.

January2.9/10Challenging31.2°C max, 689mm rain February3.4/10Challenging30.5°C max, 316mm rain March3.7/10Challenging29.5°C max, 514mm rain April5.4/10Variable28.6°C max, 121mm rain May6.9/10Good26.1°C max, 82mm rain June9.0/10Excellent25.9°C max, 18mm rain July9.2/10Excellent24.6°C max, 66mm rain August8.6/10Excellent25.6°C max, 61mm rain September7.9/10Excellent27.1°C max, 60mm rain October7.3/10Good29.1°C max, 25mm rain November6.1/10Good30.2°C max, 61mm rain December3.5/10Challenging30.9°C max, 379mm rain

Compare and Explore

Cairns vs Sydney Cairns vs Melbourne Cairns vs Brisbane Cairns vs Perth Best Time to Visit Climate Trends Australian winter weather

Similar Climates

If you like Cairns's climate, you might also consider:

Tamworth
New South Wales - Comfort 6.2/10 Broken Hill
New South Wales - Comfort 6.2/10 Moree
New South Wales - Comfort 6.2/10 Bacchus Marsh
Victoria - Comfort 6.2/10