Cairns Sea Temperature
Looking to find out what the sea water temperature in Cairns is for today and the next few days? Below are data and charts that will give you information about sea temperatures in Cairns and nearby locations.
Water temperature in Cairns right now
Below is the current sea temperature for Cairns, Australia on 1st December 2023.
29.21° C
(84.58° F)
- yesterday: 28.5° C (83.3° F)
- a week ago: 27.16° C (80.89° F)
This water temperature is comparable to that of a swimming pool, but it might be higher than most open water swimmers prefer for serious swimming. Make sure to drink plenty of water before and after swimming and don't wear a wetsuit to avoid overheating.
The average sea temperature for Cairns on December 1st over the last 10 years is 28.38° C (83.09° F), with a low temperature of 27.38° C (81.28° F) and a high of 29.39° C (84.9° F).
Analysis and forecast for Cairns water temperatures
The water temperature in Cairns today is higher than the average temperature of 28.38° C (83.09° F) and the temperature on this day last year, 1st December 2022, was 29.28° C (84.7° F).
The chart and table below shows the change in water temperature in Cairns over the last 30 days:
The actual nearshore temperatures may vary by several degrees and this can also be heavily affected by weather. Strong winds can cause cold, deep waters to replace the surface waters that had been warmed by the sun, and heavy rain can also reduce the temperature of the sea surface temperature as well.
Water temperature in Cairns by month
The chart below shows the monthly average water temperature in Cairns.
For more detailed information on how the sea temperature in Cairns changes for each month of the year, choose from the months below.
Cairns map and nearby water temperatures
Locations near Cairns
The highest temperature in Australia today is 31.25° C (88.25° F) in Darwin. The lowest is in Bruny Island, where the temperature of the water is 13.14° C (55.65° F).
Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in Cairns?
The ocean covers about 71% of the Earth's surface, and scientists record the sea surface temperature (SST) of locations such as Cairns because they want to understand and learn how the ocean communicates with the atomosphere of Earth.
SST is one measure that provides information on the global climate, and it can be used to predict the weather in Cairns as well as atmospheric model simulations and to study marine ecosystems in the area.
Data source and citation
Raw data for the calculations made to find the sea surface temperature in Cairns comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and their 1/4° daily Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature.
The water temperature data is constructed by combining observations from different platforms (satellites, ships, buoys, and Argo floats) on a regular global grid. A spatially complete sea surface temperature map is then built by interpolating to fill in gaps in the data.
If you'd like to use any of the information above in the format it is presented, please use the citation tool below.
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"Cairns Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net. Accessed on December 1, 2023. http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/australia/cairns/.
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"Cairns Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net, http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/australia/cairns/. Accessed 1 December, 2023
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