Climate in Cairns, Australia

Cairns, Australia has a tropical climate. The annual average temperature is about 25.1°C, with around 998 hours of sunshine; the national rainfall baseline is roughly 1800 mm across 163 rainy days a year. The warmest month is Jan (highs near 30.3°C) and the coldest is Jul (lows near 19.9°C). These are deterministic planning estimates, not a forecast or measured station data. Temperature and sunshine follow the city's latitude; rainfall and the climate zone come from a country-level baseline that every city in the country shares (refined by region in the United States, Canada and Australia), so they do not show local differences. Check current conditions with an official meteorological service before travel.

Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16.

Cairns is classified as Tropical. The classification combines the city’s own temperature range, which follows its latitude, with a rainfall pattern taken at country level for Australia — so cities in the same country usually share a zone.

The rainfall baseline for Australia is about 1800 mm a year over roughly 163 rainy days, with the wettest month Apr and the driest Aug. This figure is not specific to Cairns: every city in Australia carries the same baseline, so it will not show the difference between, say, a dry inland city and a wet coastal one. Use an official meteorological service for local rainfall.

Cairns sees an estimated 998 hours of sunshine a year, concentrated in the warmer months around Jan.

By temperature and rainfall, the most comfortable months in Cairns are Aug, Jul, Jun. Conditions vary year to year — verify with a current forecast before booking.

Cairns has a climate comfort score of 69/100, a comfortable year-round climate by this measure. The score weights mild temperatures most, then rainfall balance, sunshine, low seasonality, and the absence of extreme winter cold or summer heat.

• Climate in Brisbane — Semi-Arid, comfort 76/100
• Climate in Darwin — Tropical, comfort 64/100
• Climate in Gold Coast — Semi-Arid, comfort 76/100