Cairns weather: Far North sweats as mercury rises after weekend showers

Far Northerners will be looking for ways to beat the heat this week, as the mercury rises into the mid-30s after a weekend of drizzly weather.

Cairns is currently experiencing hot and sticky weather typical of the start of summer. Smithfield teenager Riley Swan finds respite from the warm weather by taking a dip in the cool waters of Freshwater Creek. Picture: Brendan Radke

Far Northerners will be looking for ways to beat the heat this week, as the mercury rises into the mid-30s after a weekend of drizzly weather.

Bureau of Meteorology spokesman Daniel Hayes said while the temperatures will not hit the heatwave heights of 40 degrees and above which central Queensland is sweltering through, the heat will still be on.

“We will see tops of 33 and 34 degrees for much of the region for the week which is 2-3 degrees above average for this time of year so it will be heating up,” he said.

“We won’t see the temperatures in the high thirties and forties that we are seeing to the centre and south of the state but some of that will begin to move north, but not at that heatwave intensity for the Far North.”

Mr Hayes said the region will see clearer skies for the beginning of the week ahead after a weekend of patchy rain which saw Cairns record 30mm overnight Friday into Saturday morning.

Cairns is currently experiencing hot and sticky weather typical of the start of summer. Smithfield teenager Jake Varcoe finds respite from the warm weather by taking a dip in the cool waters of Freshwater Creek. Picture: Brendan Radke

“It’ll be mostly clear until around Thursday/Friday when we will see a ridge move up the coast which could bring some moisture and more shower and possible storm activity,” he said.

“These showers will be less likely into the weekend.”

While December rainfall has been relatively unremarkable this season, the Bureau is still expecting higher than average rainfall for December and into the remainder of the wet season.

“We are still expecting an overall wetter than average summer with a 70 per cent prediction that rainfall will be higher than average for December,” he said.

Cairns is currently experiencing hot and sticky weather typical of the start of summer. Smithfield teenager Riley Swan finds respite from the warm weather by taking a dip in the cool waters of Freshwater Creek. Picture: Brendan Radke

Mr Hayes said there were no major systems at this stage within the shorter term forecast.

“We could see some thunderstorm activity but no current warnings for flooding in the Far North so it will be a matter of paying attention to any storm activity later in the week,” he said.

“We do have some tropical lows off the west coast of the continent but they are unlikely to have any bearing on the eastern coast.”

Cairns will see minimum temperatures also remain fairly warm, with lows of just 25 degrees expected towards the end of the week and the added humidity from possible rainfall.

The Tablelands will see a bit of a reprieve from the hottest weather, with Atherton experiencing tops for the week around 32 degrees before cooling to an expected 26 by the end of the week with the possibility of storms.

To the south, Innisfail and the Cassowary Coast can expect tops of 32 degrees and possible rainfall totals as high as 30mm and possible storms for Friday.

Originally published as Cairns weather: Far North sweats as mercury rises after weekend showers