Climate averages 1991–2020
Mackay weather
by month.
See how the year changes. January has the highest average daily maximum; September has the lowest average monthly rainfall.
Pleasant-weather months by our simple rule: JuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctober
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
Across the year Mackay averages a daytime high of 25.2°C and a nighttime low of 20.9°C, with about 1,082 mm of rain on roughly 118 days. January is the warmest month (average high 28.2°C) and July the coolest (21.1°C). February is the wettest month with 225 mm; September is the driest with 16 mm.
Months with pleasant weather by a simple rule (average high between 18°C and 29°C, average low of at least 5°C and at most 8 rain days): June, July, August, September and October. This looks at temperature and rain only, not humidity, wind, sea temperature or crowds.
The annual picture
A year in Mackay
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Mackay climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28.2°C24.5°C | 24.5°C | 212 | 15.9 | 13.313 h |
| February | 28.1°C24.5°C | 24.5°C | 225 | 17.4 | 12.813 h |
| March | 27.3°C23.8°C | 23.8°C | 171 | 15.2 | 12.212 h |
| April | 25.7°C22.0°C | 22.0°C | 89 | 13.0 | 11.612 h |
| May | 23.7°C19.4°C | 19.4°C | 54 | 10.6 | 11.111 h |
| June | 21.7°C17.0°C | 17.0°C | 43 | 7.8 | 10.911 h |
| July | 21.1°C15.8°C | 15.8°C | 32 | 4.3 | 11.011 h |
| August | 21.8°C16.4°C | 16.4°C | 25 | 4.3 | 11.411 h |
| September | 23.8°C18.8°C | 18.8°C | 16 | 3.5 | 12.012 h |
| October | 25.5°C21.1°C | 21.1°C | 34 | 5.9 | 12.613 h |
| November | 26.8°C22.8°C | 22.8°C | 64 | 8.3 | 13.113 h |
| December | 28.0°C24.1°C | 24.1°C | 117 | 11.6 | 13.413 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
Nearby cities
- RockhamptonAustralia · 283 kmHigh 27.2°C · Low 18.0°C · 626 mm rain a year
- TownsvilleAustralia · 324 kmHigh 27.9°C · Low 20.7°C · 849 mm rain a year
- BundabergAustralia · 526 kmHigh 25.7°C · Low 18.0°C · 787 mm rain a year
- CairnsAustralia · 591 kmHigh 27.1°C · Low 22.0°C · 1,164 mm rain a year
- Sunshine CoastAustralia · 730 kmHigh 23.8°C · Low 17.7°C · 998 mm rain a year
- CaloundraAustralia · 746 kmHigh 23.7°C · Low 17.7°C · 998 mm rain a year
- ToowoombaAustralia · 766 kmHigh 22.8°C · Low 12.0°C · 659 mm rain a year
- SydneyAustralia · 1428 kmHigh 20.9°C · Low 14.4°C · 850 mm rain a year
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsWhat do the high and low temperatures mean?
We average the daily maximum and daily minimum for each calendar month over 1991–2020. They are not record extremes, a forecast range or temperatures at a fixed time of day.
How is a rain day counted?
A local calendar day (standard time, UTC+10, no daylight saving) with at least 1 mm of total precipitation counts as one rain day. We count these for each year and month, then average across 30 years. The average does not predict which days will be wet.
Where do the numbers come from?
ERA5-Land (temperature) and ERA5 (precipitation) reanalysis from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, read from the Open-Meteo open-data archive. Temperature comes from the 0.1° model cell at -21.10°, 149.20° (7 km from the city centre), adjusted down by 0.1°C for the difference between the city's elevation (11 m) and the cell's (1 m). Rain comes from the 0.25° cell at -21.25°, 149.25°. These are model estimates, not weather-station readings; coast, hills and city streets can differ.
Does this page show sunshine, humidity or sea temperature?
No. The data used here contain air temperature and precipitation only. Daylight hours are calculated from the city's latitude (sunrise to sunset), not measured sunshine.