Cairns weather in February
In February, Cairns has daytime highs averaging 29 °C, nights around 25 °C, with 21 wet days, and a sea temperature of 29 °C. Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
- 29.3°C Average high
- 24.7°C Average low
- 21days Wet days
- 264mm Rainfall
- 29.1°C Sea temperature
- 13h Daylight
Daily temperatures through February
How February develops
Averages for the first, middle and last part of the month, from daily 1991–2020 normals. Chance of rain is the share of years in which that calendar day recorded more than 1 mm.
| Days | Avg high | Avg low | Chance of rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–10 February | 29.2 °C | 24.8 °C | 76 % |
| 11–20 February | 29.7 °C | 24.7 °C | 69 % |
| 21–28 February | 28.9 °C | 24.5 °C | 76 % |
- Rain is most likely over days 21–28 of February (76 % of days) and least likely over days 11–20 (69 %).
What to expect
| Measure | Typical February | Share of the month |
|---|---|---|
| Days above 25 °C | 28 of 28 | 100 % |
| Days above 30 °C | 8.2 of 28 | 29 % |
| Days below 0 °C | 0 of 28 | 0 % |
| Days with more than 1 mm rain | 21 of 28 | 74 % |
Conditions in February
| Measure | Average |
|---|---|
| Mean temperature | 27 °C |
| Record high (1991–2020) | 41 °C |
| Record low (1991–2020) | 20 °C |
| Relative humidity | 85 % |
| Wind speed | 13 km/h |
| Cloud cover | 74 % |
Where Cairns ranks in February
| Ranking | Position | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Warmest sea temperatures in the world in February | 23rdof 50 | 29 °C |
February compared with the months around it
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29.4 °C | 245 mm | 74 % |
| February | 29.3 °C | 264 mm | 74 % |
| March | 28.4 °C | 219 mm | 69 % |
| April | 26.9 °C | 100 mm | 58 % |
| December | 29.3 °C | 150 mm | 64 % |
See all twelve months for Cairns
- February is the 3rd warmest month here.
- It is the 12th driest month of the year.
- It ranks 12th for least cloud cover.
- Days last about 13 hours from sunrise to sunset.
- It rains on 21 of 28 days — 74 % of the month.
- Nights are about 4.6 °C cooler than the middle of the day.
- The hottest February day on record since 1991 reached 41 °C, 12 °C above the usual daytime high.
- Beach score: 68 / 100 — see how this is calculated.
Nearby destinations in February
| Destination | Avg high | Wet days | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cairns | 29 °C | 21 | 29 |
| Townsville | 30 °C | 17 | 29 |
QuestionsFebruary in Cairns, answered
How warm is Cairns in February?
Daily highs average 29 °C and nights fall to about 25 °C, a spread of 4.6 °C between afternoon and dawn. That makes February the 2nd warmest month of the year here.
Does it rain much in Cairns in February?
February averages 264 mm of rain, spread over about 21 of the 28 days — 74 % of the month. Cloud cover averages 74 % of the sky.
Is the sea warm enough to swim in February?
The sea averages 29 °C off Cairns in February. Most people find water below 20 °C bracing and above 25 °C comfortable for a long swim; this figure is a monthly surface average, so a sheltered bay on a still afternoon can be warmer.
How long are the days in February?
Cairns averages 13 hours between sunrise and sunset in February. Day length is computed from latitude and date, so it is exact rather than modelled — but it says nothing about how much of that time is sunny.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: daylight hours, beach and comfort scores, monthly rankings, threshold day counts, chance of a wet day by date, ten-day averages within the month. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.