Weather
The climate is comfortable tropical all year with maximum temperatures of 31º C in the summer and 26° C in the winter. Most of all pack lightly - at 16 degrees south of the Equator, the climate here is like Tahiti. During the Winter months, on very rare evenings, a wrap is required.
During the cooler, dry season the days are balmy and the evenings pleasantly cool (26 - 17 degrees Celsius). Summertime, or the green season, means warmer days and restorative rain. The rainforest revitalises itself and the streams are replenished. Sea temperatures range from 23.2 C in July to 28.7C in February.
There are generally only two seasons in the Tropics, ‘the green’ and ‘the dry’. The green season begins with the first monsoonal rains, usually around November, and ends around May. About 75 to 90% of the annual rainfall is recorded then, with the highest falls between Cairns and Tully around the Bellenden Ker and and Bartle Frere Mountains.
Average green season temperatures usually occur in January and the lowest in June, July and August.
The green season is often dramatic, wildly beautiful and eagerly awaited by the flora and fauna of the tropical rainforests. Without our annual rainfall, there would be no rainforest and, as many visitors discover, our ‘liquid sunshine’ doesn’t interfere with diving, snorkeling or touring.
