Townsville Weather Guide: Climate Year-RoundUpdated

Townsville has a tropical savannah climate that is drier than Cairns (annual rainfall around 1,100mm versus Cairns' 2,000mm+) due to the rain shadow of the Wet Tropics mountains to the north. The city experiences the same wet-dry cycle as Cairns but with less intensity: the wet season is shorter and drier, the dry season is longer, and the transition seasons are more pronounced. Townsville has the most sunshine hours of any major Queensland city and claims to be the "sunniest city in Australia."

Wet Season (December to March) — Townsville's wet season is less dramatic than Cairns' but still delivers significant rainfall: most of the annual 1,100mm falls between December and March, with January and February the wettest months. Severe tropical cyclones occasionally affect Townsville directly; Cyclone Debbie (2017) caused significant flooding in the Bowen area 100km north, and the 2019 Townsville monsoonal event (not a cyclone, but exceptional sustained rainfall) caused the most significant flooding in the city's modern history, with the Ross River dam releasing at capacity.

Dry Season (May to October) — Townsville's dry season is excellent and longer than most tropical cities: May through October provides 6 months of clear blue skies, low humidity (typically below 50% in July), temperatures of 22 to 27°C, and the trade wind conditions that make Townsville's Cleveland Bay excellent for sailing and kite surfing. October temperatures reach 30°C before the wet season transition in November. No stingers in the bay from May to October.

The transition months (April and November) — April is the transition from the wet to the dry, with decreasing humidity and the last of the wet season rains. November marks the build-up to the wet, with increasing heat and humidity but typically without significant rain until December or January.

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