Cairns Weather & Climate

The Tropical Summer (December – April) Also known as “The Green Season” is a sensational time of year and is characterised by hot sunny days, gorgeous sunshine and sensational evening thunderstorms. Contrary to popular belief the tropical summer is actually a great time to visit the area. Generally considered the ‘quieter time of year for tourism’ you will be able to find great deals for accommodation and the resorts will not be as densely populated with tourists.

Lot’s of people prefer this time as it is easier to get around and things are not such a rush and you don’t have the same issues of possibly missing out on some of the tours and attractions due to the higher number of tourists around at the same time. The temperatures in the Tropical Summer season stay relatively constant both day and night sitting between 28-32 degrees Celsius.

The humidity is highest in the late afternoon as thunderstorms begin to develop. Nightly you can expect glorious lightening and thunder displays bringing lots of rain to the region. Mornings are often beautifully sunny and the landscapes are glistening and green and the flowing rivers are alive. This is by far the best time of year to be white water rafting and for visiting the World Heritage Rainforests in their element.

It is also a great time for divers to witness the amazing Coral Spawning with the warmer water temperatures up around the 24-28 degrees and for nature lovers to see Crocodiles on the river banks as this is their mating season so they are very active. This is also the time of year when all the exotic stone fruits or Christmas fruits come out.

Some fine examples are Mangoes, Lychee fruit, plums, watermelon, cherries, apricots, peaches and pineapples, jackfruit, persimmons, Honeydew, blackberries and many more you can indulge in at Rusty’s Markets in Cairns City from Friday to Sunday every week.

Tropical flowers are blooming everywhere with the mixture of nightly drenching rains and sunny days. It really is the prettiest time of year to be in Cairns and by far the most unhurried.

The Tropical Winter (May – November) — Also known as, “The Dry Season” this time of year seems to be the most popular with tourists visiting Cairns as this co-insides with the freezing winters around most of Australia’s southern states.

The Tropical Winters are characterised by low humidity, slightly cooler temperatures and less rainfall. During the Tropical Winter, temperatures can vary extremely.

Day time temperatures usually peak at around 28-30 degrees Celsius while night time temperatures can surprisingly dip below 10 degrees but for only approximately one or two weeks intermittently.

The Tropical Winter season is when the majority of tourists visit Cairns as the southern states are in the middle of their winter. You have to expect to pay much higher prices for accommodation at this time of year and make sure you book your tours and accommodation with us well in advance to avoid any disappointment as it is a very busy time.

May to September and sometimes even throughout October depending on the ocean temperatures and currents is a great time to be on the Great Barrier Reef to swim with the inquisitive Minke Whales and witness the giant Humpbacks on their annual migration with their calves. These whales love to come up to the sides of the tourist boats and have a look at all the smiling faces on board.

Sometimes you will be lucky enough to see them frolicking and breaching out of the water and you may even get to see Migaloo the worlds only known all white whale cruise past you and say hello.

This is a great time of year to hold that dreamy tropical wedding you have always wanted or just have an intimate holiday with a loved one and indulge in all the luxuries of the destination both offered by man and nature.

This is not a tacky tourist destination it is a sophisticated world class destination that does not hassle you with street hawkers and cheap manufactured tourist items and dirty streetscapes.All in all Cairns is a unique place to visit and a must see destination for everyone from all walks of life. There is something here for everyone so come and enjoy some of our natural nature based attractions in our safe laid back Tropical City that is Cairns Australia.