Cairns weather: Cool temperatures across Far North the lowest in years
Parts of the Far North recorded the coolest minimum temperatures in years overnight, with the feels temp like dropping into the low 2s. HOW COLD WAS IT AT YOUR PLACE?
Cairns
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cairns. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THURSDAY: THE Bureau of Meteorology has reported “widespread” frost across the Atherton Tablelands on Thursday as temperatures dropped into the single digits across the Far North.
Far Northerners would have woken to a nasty surprise on Thursday morning, with the mercury suddenly dropping overnight to some of the lowest temperatures the region has experienced in years.
About 10pm Wednesday night, when most chipper Far Northerners went to bed following State of Origin Game 3, the mercury was at 15C at Cairns. On Thursday morning it dropped down to 8C at Cairns Racecourse at about 5.30am - the station’s coolest July recording since 2020.
Meanwhile at Innisfail it was “typical southeast” temperatures with a reading of 4.9C at 6.30am, and a feels like temperature of 3C at 7am.
And in Mareeba, while the official temperature dropped as low as 7.6C at 6am, locals would certainly have been shivering at 6.30am when the feels like dropped to 2.6C.
BOM duty forecaster Brooke Pagel said it was Mareeba’s coolest morning in two years, and Innisfail’s coolest morning in six years.
“Because of the winds, it’s still going to be quite chilly today and tomorrow, but the minimum should be a little bit warmer tomorrow,” she said.
“Going into Saturday and Sunday, there is a chance of showers and with the moist onshore winds those temperatures will rise, not to be warm, but closer to the July averages.
“So we’re looking at minimums of 16C and maximums of 25C.”
WEDNESDAY: Far Northerners can expect more cooler weather as the state’s big freeze persists, with subzero temperatures expected to see frost in an unlikely city.
The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted the far-reaching frosts would be brought on by “extensive subzero temperatures” across the state’s interior, reaching as far north as Mackay today.
Cairns was expecting a low this morning 16C – an improvement on the abnormally brisk 12C the city shivered through yesterday- with dry air and limited wind overnight making the temperature feel a little cooler.
A top of 23C with scattered clouds is predicted for Wednesday, while a cooler 21C has been forecast on Thursday with clear, blue skies.
TUESDAY: Just when Far Northerners had packed away winter woollies after a freak cold snap the mercury dropped to an abnormal low, with teeth chattering on Tuesday morning.
Cairns shivered through another brisk morning with the temperature dropping to 12.7C, or around four degrees below the average for July.
But forecasters say mostly sunny days are in story for the rest of the week, with a top of 25C on Wednesday and a low of just 16C. Thursday and Friday are tipped to get no chillier than 14C.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Helen Reid said while a near perfect day is predicted in Cairns, a high pressure system had meant the air cooling significantly.
“It’s sitting at about 13C (and) it got down to about 12.7C, so you’ve got some more chilly mornings that we’ve been experiencing,” she said.
“(Tuesday) morning was probably the coolest of the sequence, you have some fairly clear skies through their as well and the air has been quite dry.
“It has the capacity for the air temp to drop right down.”
Ms Reid said the conditions were caused by dry air pushing its way north, no cloud cover and next to no wind under the ridge of a high pressure system.
“It is colder for what you’d expect for this time of year.”
Cairns can expect “sunshine to be the order of the day” for the next three days with temperatures as high as 25C.
Winds will pick up on Thursday before a chance of a shower on Friday.
And Far Northerners should expect more brisk mornings.
“We are expecting morning temperatures to not be as chilly tomorrow, it will be oscillating between cold and chilly but we’re not expecting it to be as cold as this morning,” she said.
Muddy’s Cafe employee Chris Chaise said the staff had been feeling the chill “all week”.
But it hasn’t kept families away from the pumping playground which has been jam packed all school holidays.
“We are on the waterfront so you can really feel it coming up off the water,” she said.
“It has been cold all week, but we have been loving it. It is something a bit different, definitely a bit cold for us locals.
“But the day’s have been beautiful.”
Cairns can expect a mostly sunny day on Wednesday with a top of 25C, before another cooler than usual day on Thursday with a top of 22C.
More Coverage
Originally published as Cairns weather: Cool temperatures across Far North the lowest in years
Far North’s ‘voices’ to parliament reveal their efforts one year on
The Far North’s three elected parliamentarians reveal what efforts they’ve made in the space of Indigenous affairs, one year after the failed referendum.
How they voted: Cairns pre-polling unveils unexpected political issues
Pre-polling Far North residents appear to have already made up their minds as early voting centres opened their doors with surprising reasons driving voter decision making.