Cairns Daintree rainforest in wet season with fog and lush greenery

Cairns · Australia

February

The wettest month — stingers, cyclones and poor visibility make February the worst month for reef visits

Worth considering

#12 of 12 months

There are better months for Cairns — see the full ranking below.

See when to go instead →

Climate

High

31°C

Low

24°C

Rain

449mm

Sun

6.5hrs/day

30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5

How February scores in Cairns

Weather
Below average
Value
Good
Crowds
Above average
Events
Below average
Atmosphere
Average

What you gain in February

  • Daintree National Park at its most lush and green; Cape Tribulation very atmospheric
  • Some accommodation deals; inland Atherton Tablelands cooler and accessible
  • Chinese New Year celebrations in Cairns city

What you sacrifice

  • Peak stinger season: box jellyfish and Irukandji make beach swimming dangerous without stinger suits
  • Highest cyclone risk; travel insurance essential and advance reservations unwise

How February compares to July (best month)

FactorFebruaryJuly
Weather
3
9
Value
6
4
Crowds
5
8

February in other destinations

Lisbon (14.3°C)Barcelona (14°C)Tokyo (10.4°C)Bali (30.1°C)Santorini (13.2°C)Paris (8°C)New York (4.5°C)Marrakech (19.1°C)Amsterdam (6°C)Maldives (30.2°C)Rome (11.9°C)Bangkok (33°C)Istanbul (8.6°C)Vienna (4.9°C)Seoul (4°C)Dubrovnik (11.1°C)Rio de Janeiro (31°C)Kyoto (10.1°C)Phuket (32.1°C)Cape Town (26.9°C)Prague (4°C)Amalfi Coast (13°C)Mexico City (23°C)Medellín (29°C)Fiji (31°C)London (9°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (3°C)Tulum (29°C)Dubai (26°C)Singapore (31°C)Hoi An (26°C)Chiang Mai (31.5°C)Miami (24.8°C)Florence (11.4°C)Queenstown (22.2°C)Madrid (11.2°C)Porto (15°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (4°C)Budapest (6°C)Kraków (4°C)Tbilisi (8°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (19°C)Osaka (10°C)Goa (33°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (29°C)Mykonos (13°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (26°C)Cancun (29°C)Krabi (33°C)Athens (14°C)Seville (17°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (31°C)Havana (27°C)Split (11°C)Taipei (19°C)Kuala Lumpur (33°C)Valletta (15°C)Ho Chi Minh City (34°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (6°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (29°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (20°C)Jordan (13°C)Azores (17°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (20.3°C)Cairo (21.2°C)Kenya (28°C)Jaipur (25.1°C)Las Vegas (17.2°C)San Francisco (14°C)Madeira (19.8°C)Vancouver (8.4°C)Muscat (27.8°C)Lima (27°C)Cinque Terre (12°C)Kotor (11°C)Tel Aviv (18°C)Santiago (29°C)Bogotá (19°C)Bruges (6.5°C)Penang (32.2°C)Lombok (30.9°C)Cape Verde (25.8°C)Fez (15.8°C)Kerala (32°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (18°C)Oslo (0°C)Auckland (24°C)Beijing (5°C)Delhi (24°C)Mumbai (32°C)Victoria Falls (29°C)Stockholm (2°C)Oaxaca (28°C)Bhutan (15°C)Da Nang (24°C)Nashville (9°C)Nice (13°C)Mallorca (14°C)Tuscany (11°C)Namibia (31°C)Crete (16°C)Komodo (32°C)Montréal (-5°C)Melbourne (26°C)Venice (8°C)Dublin (8°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Cairns, not across destinations. Methodology →