WEATHER
The Whitsunday’s are covered under the coastal forecast "Bowen to St Laurence".
The Whitsunday Islands lie within the tropics at latitude 20 degrees south. The Islands are influenced by the South Pacific trade winds and as a consequence enjoy predominantly south-east and east winds.
We live in the Tropics, there is not a lot of difference between summer and winter.
Every year may be different but on average:
|
January to March are the wettest months |
March to May are the windiest months |
August to November are the driest months |
- average daytime temperatures range from 23o to 30oC
- average night time temperatures range from 15o to 27oC
- seawater temperatures range from 23o to 27oC
The water tempreture is cooler than land in summer and warmer than the land in winter.
The east coast of Queensland is at risk of tropical cyclones during the summer months of December through to April. Tropical cyclones vary in size and intensity and are generally slow moving with an average speed of six to twelve knots. Australia has state of the art forecasting, and in the unlikely event of an approaching storm, warnings are normally broadcast well in advance. We do recommend that you get Travel Insurance. Make sure you use the online QBE Travel Insurance Policy during the summer months as it includes cyclone warning cover.
Although the average wind direction during the year is from the south-east and east, it is not uncommon during the months of September through to March to experience winds from the north and north-east.
WHITSUNDAY WIND DIRECTION (Observations over 15 yr period)
Incidence of winds in given direction, 1500 hours, Hayman Island
|
|
Calm |
N |
NE |
E |
SE |
S |
SW |
W |
NW |
|
JANUARY |
2% |
7% |
22% |
31% |
21% |
2% |
1% |
4% |
10% |
|
FEBRUARY |
2% |
5% |
11% |
32% |
33% |
6% |
1% |
2% |
8% |
|
MARCH |
1% |
2% |
13% |
35% |
37% |
6% |
1% |
* |
5% |
|
APRIL |
3% |
1% |
6% |
30% |
46% |
7% |
* |
3% |
4% |
|
MAY |
4% |
* |
4% |
24% |
46% |
18% |
1% |
2% |
1% |
|
JUNE |
3% |
1% |
3% |
14% |
41% |
25% |
4% |
5% |
4% |
|
JULY |
3% |
1% |
6% |
23% |
40% |
16% |
5% |
3% |
3% |
|
AUGUST |
3% |
4% |
15% |
26% |
35% |
5% |
1% |
4% |
9% |
|
SEPTEMBER |
2% |
5% |
19% |
33% |
25% |
2% |
2% |
5% |
7% |
|
OCTOBER |
* |
6% |
20% |
32% |
21% |
2% |
- |
4% |
14% |
|
NOVEMBER |
1% |
10% |
22% |
27% |
16% |
1% |
- |
3% |
18% |
|
DECEMBER |
* |
10% |
21% |
29% |
17% |
1% |
- |
3% |
16% |
Whintsunday Wind Direction Table from ‘100 Magic Miles’ by David Colfelt.