Airlie Beach weather: What is the best time to visit the Whitsundays?

The Airlie Beach weather is highly seasonal. For rainfall, sunshine and lack of stingers, the best month in the Whitsundays is September.

Australia’s climate is by no means uniform. The best months to visit the southern states don’t necessarily match up with ideal conditions in the north. The sunniest month in Sydney can similar to Melbourne, but rainy in Queensland, and unbearably hot at Uluru.

The Whitsunday Islands (officially, the Cumberland Islands) are famous for island stays, white sand beaches and multi-day yacht cruises. They are in the tropical north of Australia. Accessed from Airlie Beach in Queensland, the Whitsundays stay pretty warm all year round.

Airlie Beach brings Whitsunday Islands sailing and snorkelling cruises, coral and marine life viewing from a glass-bottom boat and day cruises to the staggering white sands of Whitehaven Beach. To explore the full range of Airlie Beach tours and experiences, investigate here. For Airlie Beach accommodation bargains, look here.

The key difference in the Airlie Beach weather is not hot or cold – it’s wet or dry.

Airlie Beach weather: temperatures and rainfall

The average minimum temperature in the Whitsundays doesn’t vary all that much. It’s 25°C in January and February, but 18°C in June, July and August. Average maximum temperatures are 31°C in November, December and January, but get as low as 23°C in July.

Rainfall is where things differ greatly. In September an average of 26.4mm falls on Hamilton Island, the main holiday hub of the Whitsundays. In February, however, it’s 326.1mm.

The rain is very heavy in January and March, too. That’s going to ruin a kayaking tour, drown out a swim in the Airlie Beach Lagoon and make a cruise pretty hard work. It’s still 167.4mm in April, which is usually billed as the start of the ‘dry season’. If you want under 100mm of rainfall a month, and fewer than 10 rainy days per month, aim for between June and November.

Stinger season in the Whitsundays

Another factor to consider with the Whitsundays weather is “stinger season”. This is when the waters around the Whitsundays have more than their fair share of “stingers”. Or, as they’re more accurately known, “potentially fatal jellyfish”.

These nasties, including the box jellyfish and Irukandji, float in on ocean currents. They’re also why all the cruise operators hand out full body wet suits. They’re not about keeping warm – they’re about keeping seriously nasty jellyfish stings off the body.

Such suits are more or less essential between October and May. They’re recommended between June and September, too, but the danger isn’t nearly as high when the Airlie Beach weather isn’t as humid.

So that’s another tick in September’s favour, to go along with slightly higher temperatures than June, July and August. September also gets the most clear days and the fewest rainy days. That’s handy for for seeing wildlife on a Proserpine crocodile cruise, too.

Given that September is also shoulder season for the southern states, it also provides a happy medium for a cross-Australian itinerary. It provides decent weather for cruising in the Whitsundays,  enjoying Melbourne’s street art and climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

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