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It’s time to put the blankets away and turn up the ceiling fans, with Cairns unlikely to see another cold spell before summer.
Temperatures have risen over the past couple of days, with maximum and minimums a few degrees above the September average.
The Bureau of Meteorology said Cairns got down to 21 early this morning, following a warm overnight low of 24 early on Monday.
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Daytime maximums have been in the high 20s, with 30 the forecast top for today.
Temperatures will be a couple of degrees cooler as south-east winds strengthen tomorrow but will rise again before the weekend.
The Cairns winter is mild compared to regions further south, but there were some mornings in July and August when heaters would have been handy.
In the second week of July, we woke to below average minimum temperatures between 10 and 14 degrees.
There was another cold spell in mid-August, with temperatures down to 11 degrees.
Longer term forecasts indicate we’ve seen the last of the cooler weather for 2022 and temperatures will stay up as we head into summer.
The Bureau of Meteorology said it’s likely to be wetter than average in the coming months, with an earlier onset to the wet season.
Last month, BoM posted an alert, saying there’s a 70 per cent chance of a La Niña forming later this year.
If correct, this will be Australia’s third consecutive La Niña year.
A La Niña event typically increases the chance of above-average spring and summer rainfall across northern Australia.
It also increases the chance of cyclones in the Australian region and raises the prospect of them forming earlier in the wet season.
Main points
- It's getting warmer. Our temperatures are above the September average
- Fine, sunny, and warm for the rest of the week
- Wet start to summer with a La Niña likely
