Cairns weather in September
In September, Cairns has daytime highs averaging 26 °C, nights around 20 °C, with 4.5 wet days, and a sea temperature of 25 °C. Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
- 25.8°C Average high
- 20.0°C Average low
- 4.5days Wet days
- 17mm Rainfall
- 24.8°C Sea temperature
- 12h Daylight
Daily temperatures through September
How September 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 September | 25.3 °C | 19.7 °C | 15 % |
| 11–20 September | 25.7 °C | 19.9 °C | 16 % |
| 21–30 September | 26.3 °C | 20.4 °C | 13 % |
What to expect
| Measure | Typical September | Share of the month |
|---|---|---|
| Days above 25 °C | 20 of 30 | 68 % |
| Days above 30 °C | 0.1 of 30 | 0 % |
| Days below 0 °C | 0 of 30 | 0 % |
| Days with more than 1 mm rain | 4.5 of 30 | 15 % |
Conditions in September
| Measure | Average |
|---|---|
| Mean temperature | 22 °C |
| Record high (1991–2020) | 31 °C |
| Record low (1991–2020) | 14 °C |
| Relative humidity | 76 % |
| Wind speed | 16 km/h |
| Cloud cover | 45 % |
Where Cairns ranks in September
| Ranking | Position | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Best beach destinations in the world in September | 37thof 50 | 95/100 |
September compared with the months around it
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| July | 23.1 °C | 29 mm | 49 % |
| August | 23.8 °C | 25 mm | 48 % |
| September | 25.8 °C | 17 mm | 45 % |
| October | 27.3 °C | 36 mm | 45 % |
| November | 28.5 °C | 61 mm | 52 % |
See all twelve months for Cairns
- September is the 8th warmest month here.
- It is the 1st driest month of the year.
- It ranks 1st for least cloud cover.
- Days last about 12 hours from sunrise to sunset.
- It rains on 4.5 of 30 days — 15 % of the month.
- Nights are about 5.8 °C cooler than the middle of the day.
- The hottest September day on record since 1991 reached 31 °C, 5.6 °C above the usual daytime high.
- Beach score: 95 / 100 — see how this is calculated.
Nearby destinations in September
| Destination | Avg high | Wet days | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cairns | 26 °C | 4.5 | 25 |
| Townsville | 27 °C | 2 | 24 |
QuestionsSeptember in Cairns, answered
How warm is Cairns in September?
Daily highs average 26 °C and nights fall to about 20 °C, a spread of 5.8 °C between afternoon and dawn. That makes September the 9th warmest month of the year here.
Does it rain much in Cairns in September?
September averages 17 mm of rain, spread over about 4 of the 30 days — 15 % of the month. Cloud cover averages 45 % of the sky.
Is the sea warm enough to swim in September?
The sea averages 25 °C off Cairns in September. 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 September?
Cairns averages 12 hours between sunrise and sunset in September. 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.