Weather in Townsville in December

Shoulder season. December is shoulder season in Townsville — cheaper, quieter, and a genuine gamble. Highs average 33.5 °C, lows 24.9 °C, and rain falls on 10 days — nothing in the month is working against you.

December ranks 10 of 12 — near the bottom of Townsville's year. August is the month that works, and the swing between the two is 55 points, which is a different holiday rather than a slightly better one.

Rain on 10 days, 3 of them heavy. Enough to need a plan B, not enough to need a plan around it. Pack for 33.5 °C days and 24.9 °C nights; the spread matters more here than any single number.

What the averages hide

Averages flatten a month, and this one hides a few things: 6 days clear 35 °C, so a serious heatwave is normal rather than notable. Across the twenty years measured, the hottest December day reached 41.6 °C and the coldest night fell to 20.2 °C, and the wettest single day dropped 65 mm — roughly 75% of the month's rain in one day.

This is the volatile part. December rainfall has ranged from 12 mm to 399 mm across the twenty years measured — a 387 mm spread around an average of 87 mm. The average is real but almost no individual December looks like it, so treat the figure as the middle of a wide range rather than a forecast.

Wind is light at 12.6 km/h, so the temperature on the page is close to the temperature on your skin, and humidity is unremarkable at 68%.

How December sits in the year

This is a turning point in the year — November and January sit on opposite sides of it, so the month contains the change rather than following it. Rain is the thing that moves: January brings 7 days more of it, so the earlier half of a flexible trip is the safer half.

Daylight in December

December is at or near the longest days of Townsville's year: 13.3 hours of daylight, holding steady all month. Evenings are the real gain — dinner outdoors still happens in full light.

Sea temperature

The sea sits at about 28.2 °C in December — warm enough that the water offers no relief from the heat. The sea peaks at 29 °C in February and bottoms out at 24 °C — water lags the air by a month or two, which is why the best swimming often comes after the best weather.

How busy it gets

Quiet. Few other visitors, cheaper rooms, and a real chance some seasonal operators are shut.

Crowd levels are estimated from climate desirability and school-holiday calendars, not from visitor numbers.

December in Townsville versus nearby

If Townsville is one option among several, the nearby comparison is worth making. Airlie Beach is a better bet in December — 3.1 °C cooler, 1 day more rain. Cairns is the weaker option in December — within a degree on temperature, 7 days more rain.

So: December is a compromise. August is 45 points better and is what Townsville is actually like at its best — worth moving the trip for if that is possible, and worth adjusting expectations for if it is not.

Every month in Townsville

See all twelve months in Townsville, or where else to go in December.