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Cairns Weather News

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Weather

Cairns Weather Today

Live rain radar, current conditions, an hour-by-hour outlook and a seven-day forecast for Cairns, with original local weather writing.

Today's briefing

Cairns is in for a thoroughly wet day with an 80 per cent chance of rain and a brisk 25 kilometre per hour wind, so grab your brolly before heading out. The mercury is hovering around 24 degrees now and will peak at just 24 today before dropping to 20 overnight, with a UV index of 6 keeping things fairly intense between the showers. Pack a light waterproof jacket or rain shell rather than your usual heavy gear, as the warm and humid conditions mean you'll want something breathable that you can easily stow away. Looking ahead to the weekend, Saturday is shaping up nicely with a maximum of 23 degrees and only a 29 per cent chance of rain, though Sunday looks like it'll return to wetter conditions with an 80 per cent rain chance and a top of 24 degrees.

21°

Drizzle · feels like 20°

Today
24° / 19°
Humidity
76%
Wind
22 km/h SE
UV index
0 · Low
Sunrise
6:46 am
Sunset
5:56 pm

Next 24 hours

  1. Now

    21°

    0%

  2. 11pm

    21°

    0%

  3. 12am

    20°

    0%

  4. 1am

    19°

    0%

  5. 2am

    19°

    0%

  6. 3am

    19°

    0%

  7. 4am

    19°

    0%

  8. 5am

    19°

    0%

  9. 6am

    19°

    0%

  10. 7am

    19°

    0%

  11. 8am

    20°

    0%

  12. 9am

    21°

    0%

  13. 10am

    22°

    0%

  14. 11am

    23°

    8%

  15. 12pm

    23°

    19%

  16. 1pm

    23°

    27%

  17. 2pm

    23°

    31%

  18. 3pm

    23°

    33%

  19. 4pm

    23°

    31%

  20. 5pm

    22°

    23%

  21. 6pm

    21°

    12%

  22. 7pm

    21°

    4%

  23. 8pm

    21°

    1%

  24. 9pm

    20°

    0%

Live rain radar

Drag to pan

Animated rain radar via RainViewer (Bureau of Meteorology sources). Full Bureau of Meteorology radar loop.

Seven-day forecast

  1. Wed

    Drizzle

    24° 19°

    Rain 20%

  2. Thu

    Drizzle

    23° 19°

    Rain 33%

  3. Fri

    Drizzle

    24° 19°

    Rain 95%

  4. Sat

    Mainly clear

    24° 18°

    Rain 4%

  5. Sun

    Partly cloudy

    24° 17°

    Rain 9%

  6. Mon

    Overcast

    25° 16°

    Rain 10%

  7. Tue

    Drizzle

    23° 18°

    Rain 27%

Sun and moon

Sunrise
6:46 am
Sunset
5:56 pm
Daylight
11h 10m

Last quarter

38% lit

From the weather desk

Cairns weather, explained

How to read the Cairns forecast

A good forecast is really three views at once. The current panel tells you what it feels like outside right now, which is what matters before you head out the door. The hourly strip is for planning the next part of your day: when the rain band arrives, when the wind picks up, when it is warm enough to walk. The seven-day outlook is for the week ahead, and it is most reliable in the first three or four days. Read it from the top down and you will almost always have what you need for Cairns.

Cairns weather and the coast

Cairns has a tropical monsoon climate defined by two seasons. The hot, humid wet season runs roughly from November to April, bringing monsoon troughs, heavy afternoon storms and the occasional cyclone off the Coral Sea. The warmer, drier season from May to October is dominated by steady south-easterly trade winds and long stretches of settled weather. The Great Dividing Range and the Atherton Tablelands rise sharply just to the west, while the Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef sit to the east — a combination that channels the trade winds and wrings extra rain out of the ranges behind the city.

What the UV index means in Cairns

Cairns sits at about 16.9 degrees south, deep in the tropics, which puts it in a UV band that surprises many visitors. On clear days the UV index regularly reaches 11 or above for much of the year, meaning skin can burn in under ten minutes around midday. The index peaks at solar noon, not at the hottest part of the afternoon, so checking the number rather than judging by the temperature is the most reliable habit. Below 3 is low and you can be outside without extra protection. From 3 to 7 means sunscreen earns its keep. Above 8 means a hat, sunscreen and shade are all genuinely useful, not optional.

Weather data by Open-Meteo. Cairns Weather News is independent and not affiliated with any government weather agency.