The weather of the Great Barrier Reef changes seasonally and it is usually the case that the weather on land is quite different to out at sea. Don’t be deterred by the weather forecast for local towns and cities when booking a reef trip, rather ask your local tour booking agent or call our friendly office, on +61 7 4051 5777, for accurate information on the conditions over the reef.
Cairns Weather forecast
Cairns Weather & Climate
| Summer (Dec-Feb) |
Autumn (Mar-May) |
Winter (Jun-Aug) |
Spring (Sep-Nov) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marine life | Overall great marine life activity with plenty to see | Overall great marine life activity with plenty to see | Minke Whales & Humpback Whales | Humpback Whales & Coral Spawning (Nov) |
| Visibility | Excellent | Good | Good | Excellent |
| Water temperature | 29°C (85°F) | 25-27°C (77-80°F) | 22-24°C (71-75°F) | 25-27°C (77-80°F) |
| Sea Conditions | Generally calm | Calm to moderate | Moderate | Generally calm |
| Rainfall | Moderate to high rain generally at night | Potential moderate rain | Low rainfall | Low rainfall |
Cairns annual temperature & precipitation
Metric
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|
394
32
24
|
446
31
24
|
422
31
23
|
193
29
22
|
91
28
20
|
47
26
18
|
30
26
17
|
26
27
17
|
34
28
19
|
48
30
21
|
93
31
22
|
175
32
23
|
| Average max. and min. temperatures in °C | |||||||||||
| Precipitation totals in mm | |||||||||||
Imperial
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|
16
89
75
|
18
88
75
|
17
87
74
|
7.6
85
71
|
3.6
82
68
|
1.9
79
64
|
1.2
78
63
|
1
80
63
|
1.3
83
66
|
1.9
85
69
|
3.7
87
72
|
6.9
89
74
|
| Average max. and min. temperatures in °F | |||||||||||
| Precipitation totals in inches | |||||||||||