When to go · Cairns
Cairns in January
Avoid month. Listed as a month to avoid: Jan–Mar (wet season, cyclone risk, marine stingers).
Key facts
- Verdict
- Avoid
- Temperature
- 32°C90°F / 24°C75°F
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 15
- Crowds
- High
- Australia overall
- Prices
- High
- Australia overall
Verdict
AvoidBest and avoid months for Cairns
Listed as a month to avoid: Jan–Mar (wet season, cyclone risk, marine stingers).
Weather in January
- CairnsHighs around 32 °C, lows around 24 °C, rain on about 15 daysHighs around 90 °F, lows around 75 °F, rain on about 15 days
- Tropical north, Australia · Cairns, Port Douglas, Darwin, Kakadu, Kimberleystorm or typhoon risk
Dry season May–Oct is the window: roads open, no stingers in most of it, waterfalls still flowing early on. Nov–Apr brings humidity, monsoon floods, cyclones and box jellyfish.
Festivals and holidays
Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · Australia overall
- High
- Prices · Australia overall
- High
Australia overall: Peak summer in the south: beaches, holidays and high prices; the north is in full wet and cyclone season.
High-price month: see what to book ahead.
What to pack
- Light, breathable clothes, a sun hat and sunscreen
- A rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that dry fast
- A spare day in the plan: storms can cancel flights and ferries