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Australia

Cairns in December: weather, sea & travel advice

This month's data profile

Rain shapes the decision

Cairns in December is climatically well suited to beach holidays. The average daily high is around 30 °C, and the sea is about 29 °C. With about 18 rainy days it is very wet.

Historical monthly averages, not a weather forecast. Individual days and years can differ substantially.

Rank among 12 monthly averages

60/100 · #10

Warmth

#1

Dryness

#8

Sun

#3

Sea warmth

#3

Published best categories: none

Great Barrier Reef off CairnsCairns · DecemberPhoto: Ank Kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0

Climate facts

Average high
30 °C
Average low
22 °C
Sea
29 °C
Rainy days (est.)
18 rainy days (est.)
Sun (est.)
8 h/day
Humidity
79 %

Climate evidence with direct month comparison

The highlighted row is the selected month. Precipitation total and rainy days are separate monthly averages.

Climate averages for Cairns: selected and adjacent months
MonthAvg high °CAvg low °CRainy days (est.)Precipitation mmSun h/day (est.)Humidity %Wind m/sSea °CScore
November302112938.5741.82772
December (selected)3022182068.0791.62960
January2823243547.4851.52957

How do the previous and next months compare?

Baseline: December (60/100)

Positive and negative values show the change from the selected month.

Score ΔAverage high ΔAverage low ΔRainy days ΔRain ΔSun ΔHumidity ΔWind ΔSea Δ
November+12±0 °C-1.1 °C-6.3-112.9 mm+0.5 h-4.4 %+0.1 m/s-1.1 °C
January-3-1.3 °C+0.5 °C+5.9+148.1 mm-0.6 h+6.7 %-0.1 m/s+0.5 °C

All twelve months in context

Rainy days (estimated)
24
J
23
F
22
M
19
A
16
M
10
J
10
J
8
A
6
S
8
O
12
N
18
D
Sunshine hours (estimated)h/day
7
J
7
F
7
M
6
A
5
M
5
J
5
J
6
A
8
S
8
O
9
N
8
D
Average daily high°C
28
J
28
F
27
M
26
A
24
M
23
J
23
J
24
A
26
S
29
O
30
N
30
D
Sea temperature°C
29
J
29
F
29
M
27
A
26
M
24
J
24
J
24
A
25
S
26
O
27
N
29
D
Great Barrier Reef off Cairns

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Useful next decisions

Cairns · Month by month

Frequently asked questions

How warm is Cairns in December?

The average daily high is around 30 °C, with an average daily low of about 22 °C.

Can you swim in Cairns in December?

The sea is about 29 °C (very warm).

Does it rain a lot in Cairns in December?

The curated estimate is about 18 rainy days per month, not a directly measured long-term average. Total precipitation averages around 206 mm for the month. A rainy day does not mean all-day rain.

When is the best time to visit Cairns?

By the climate score, July, August, September and October are the strongest months for Cairns. For a beach trip: August, September, October and November. December is not among them.