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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 looking at a very wet day ahead with a 98 percent chance of rain and a maximum temperature of 25 degrees following a cool start of 20 degrees. It is currently 23 degrees, though it feels a bit cooler at 21 degrees, so ensure you have a sturdy umbrella and a light raincoat handy to manage the persistent showers and the very high UV index of 8. Looking ahead to the weekend, Saturday will remain damp with an 89 percent chance of rain and a high of 24 degrees, while Sunday brings a slight reprieve with a 55 percent chance of rain and a top of 25 degrees.

27°

Clear · feels like 29°

Today
28° / 21°
Humidity
71%
Wind
18 km/h SE
UV index
5 · Moderate
Sunrise
5:50 am
Sunset
6:15 pm

Next 24 hours

  1. Now

    27°

    50%

  2. 4pm

    27°

    53%

  3. 5pm

    26°

    45%

  4. 6pm

    25°

    31%

  5. 7pm

    24°

    20%

  6. 8pm

    24°

    15%

  7. 9pm

    24°

    14%

  8. 10pm

    24°

    12%

  9. 11pm

    23°

    9%

  10. 12am

    23°

    6%

  11. 1am

    23°

    4%

  12. 2am

    22°

    3%

  13. 3am

    22°

    2%

  14. 4am

    22°

    2%

  15. 5am

    22°

    0%

  16. 6am

    22°

    0%

  17. 7am

    23°

    0%

  18. 8am

    25°

    6%

  19. 9am

    26°

    15%

  20. 10am

    26°

    27%

  21. 11am

    27°

    46%

  22. 12pm

    28°

    68%

  23. 1pm

    28°

    84%

  24. 2pm

    28°

    91%

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. Mon

    Partly cloudy

    28° 21°

    Rain 53%

  2. Tue

    Drizzle

    28° 22°

    Rain 93%

  3. Wed

    Drizzle

    28° 23°

    Rain 77%

  4. Thu

    Drizzle

    28° 22°

    Rain 59%

  5. Fri

    Drizzle

    27° 22°

    Rain 62%

  6. Sat

    Drizzle

    27° 22°

    Rain 41%

  7. Sun

    Drizzle

    27° 22°

    Rain 69%

Sun and moon

Sunrise
5:50 am
Sunset
6:15 pm
Daylight
12h 25m

New moon

1% 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.