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Mackay weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Temperature-wise, the seasons in Mackay are gentle: monthly means drift only 8.0°C over the whole year. Rainfall is strongly seasonal: the bulk of the year's rain falls between December and April. Mackay weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+4.2°Chigh well above average

30° / 22°Today
26° / 22°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+0.9°Caverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4911days above 30°C a year now (2016–2025) · 2 in the 1940sdays above 30°C · 2 in the 1940s+0.9°C vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 206 mmhigh 28°low 25°February, rain 222 mmhigh 28°low 25°March, rain 177 mmhigh 27°low 24°April, rain 95 mmhigh 26°low 22°May, rain 64 mmhigh 24°low 19°June, rain 45 mmhigh 22°low 17°July, rain 35 mmhigh 21°low 16°August, rain 23 mmhigh 21°low 17°September, rain 19 mmhigh 23°low 19°October, rain 34 mmhigh 25°low 21°November, rain 64 mmhigh 27°low 23°December, rain 117 mmhigh 28°low 24°wettest month February, 222 mm · 1,101 mm a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Mostly clear

Right now

26.3°

29°feels like
78%humidity
22°dew point
13 km/hfrom NE
UV index0.5
sunrise05:24sunset18:10day length12h 46m
TodayPartly cloudy30°22°
TuePartly cloudy30°22°
WedPartly cloudy30°24°
ThuPartly cloudy31°23°
FriOvercast28°24°
SatOvercast27°24°
SunPartly cloudy30°23°

On this date: October 26

Today (forecast)
30° / 22°
Average for October 26
26° / 22°

High well above average · +4.2°C

  • Highest since 1940: 28.8° · 2022
  • Lowest since 1940: 19.2° · 1978
  • One year ago: 28° / 26°

Every October 26 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 26 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Mackay is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 21.15°S, 149.17°E, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
21.15°S, 149.17°E
Time zone
Australia/Brisbane
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

13 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +0.1°C.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

The year peaks in January, at around 28.0°C by mid-afternoon, with nights around 24.8°C. On about 245 nights a year, the temperature never drops below 20°C. The coolest month is July, when afternoons reach about 20.8°C and overnight lows sit around 15.9°C.

The yearly total for Mackay comes to about 1,101 mm; monthly amounts range from 19 mm in September up to 222 mm in February.

Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Mackay has risen by 0.9°C between its first decade and its last. The last decade has also run wetter, about 25% above the long-term precipitation average.

Climate graph (climograph)

January is the warmest month, July the coolest: a yearly swing of 8°C. Wettest month: February (~222 mm). Whole year averages ~1,101 mm of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Mackay month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainDaylightHighestLowest
January28.0°24.8°206 mm13.2 h33.1° (2022)21.1° (2001)
February27.8°24.7°222 mm12.7 h34.2° (1990)20.4° (1949)
March27.1°23.9°177 mm12.1 h32.0° (2022)18.8° (1970)
April25.6°22.1°95 mm11.5 h30.9° (2023)16.3° (2017)
May23.6°19.4°64 mm11.0 h27.7° (2016)10.7° (2000)
June21.5°16.9°45 mm10.7 h26.4° (1963)10.4° (2000)
July20.8°15.9°35 mm10.8 h25.8° (1995)9.5° (1983)
August21.4°16.6°23 mm11.3 h26.8° (1968)10.6° (1995)
September23.2°18.9°19 mm11.9 h28.1° (2024)13.0° (1996)
October25.1°21.4°34 mm12.5 h30.2° (2001)16.2° (2011)
November26.6°23.2°64 mm13.0 h32.2° (2018)19.0° (1949)
December27.6°24.4°117 mm13.3 h34.1° (2005)19.9° (1964)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +0.9°C.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.10°C per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Dec–Feb is warming fastest: +0.11°C per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 30°C per year: 1.7 early in the record → 11.4 recently. Frost days: 0 → 0.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 1990, coldest in 1983: 34.2°C / 9.5°C.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~1,101 mm/year on average. Last decade: +25% vs that average. Long-term trend: +48 mm per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Mackay

Which is the warmest month in Mackay?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Mackay is January (mean daily temperature of about 26.3°C) and the coolest is July (about 18.3°C).
How does today's temperature in Mackay compare to the historical average?
On October 26, 2026, Mackay is forecast to reach a high of 29.8°C and a low of 22.1°C. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 25.6°C and a low of 22.1°C, so today's high is 4.2°C warmer than that average.
How much has Mackay warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Mackay is about 0.9°C warmer.
How much does it rain in Mackay?
Mackay receives about 1,101 mm of precipitation per year on long-term average, with February typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Mackay?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Mackay is about 22.8°C. The warmest month is January and the coolest is July.
What are the average temperatures in Mackay by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Mackay (°C, full record since 1940): January 28°/25°, February 28°/25°, March 27°/24°, April 26°/22°, May 24°/19°, June 22°/17°, July 21°/16°, August 21°/17°, September 23°/19°, October 25°/21°, November 27°/23°, December 28°/24°.
What is the weather like in Mackay in summer?
December to February is summer in Mackay, and it is wet and warm. Expect 28°C by day and 24–25°C at night, with January the warmest month. Rain rises from 117 mm in December to 222 mm in February. It is the wettest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Mackay in winter?
Winter in Mackay (June to August) is mild. Daytime highs sit at 21–22°C and nights at 16–17°C; July is the coldest month. Rain eases through the season, 45 mm in June to 23 mm in August.
What is the weather like in Mackay in spring?
September to November is spring in Mackay, and it is pleasantly warm. It warms from 23°C by day and 19°C at night in September to 27°C and 23°C in November. Rain rises from 19 mm in September to 64 mm in November.
What is the weather like in Mackay in autumn?
March to May is autumn in Mackay, and it is wet and pleasantly warm. Expect 24–27°C by day and 19–24°C at night, with May the coldest month. Rain eases through the season, 177 mm in March to 64 mm in May.

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