Weather and Nature

Mackay weather

Temperature, rain and wind in Mackay (Queensland, Australia), a city of about 84,333 people: how it is right now, hour by hour into tomorrow, the next 7 days and what each month of the year is like.

Right now

Friday 16 October, 12:00 (Australia/Brisbane)

24 °C

Fair

Feels like

24 °C

Humidity

69%

Wind

31 km/h

E · Beaufort 5

Dew point

18 °C

Cloud cover

22%

Pressure

1,019 hPa

Hour by hour

Next 24 hours, in the city’s local time.

TimeConditionsTemperatureRainWind
12:00Fair24 °C0.0 mm31 km/h
13:00Partly cloudy24 °C0.0 mm30 km/h
14:00Fair24 °C0.0 mm31 km/h
15:00Partly cloudy24 °C0.0 mm33 km/h
16:00Partly cloudy24 °C0.0 mm34 km/h
17:00Partly cloudy24 °C0.0 mm35 km/h
18:00Partly cloudy23 °C0.0 mm37 km/h
19:00Partly cloudy23 °C0.0 mm39 km/h
20:00Light rain showers23 °C0.2 mm35 km/h
21:00Rain showers23 °C0.4 mm34 km/h
22:00Light rain showers23 °C0.2 mm37 km/h
23:00Light rain showers23 °C0.1 mm37 km/h
00:00Light rain showers23 °C0.2 mm37 km/h
01:00Rain showers22 °C0.4 mm36 km/h
02:00Light rain showers23 °C0.2 mm35 km/h
03:00Rain showers23 °C0.3 mm33 km/h
04:00Rain showers22 °C0.5 mm31 km/h
05:00Rain showers22 °C0.3 mm32 km/h
06:00Light rain showers22 °C0.2 mm32 km/h
07:00Light rain23 °C0.2 mm31 km/h
08:00Rain showers23 °C0.4 mm30 km/h
09:00Rain showers23 °C0.4 mm30 km/h
10:00Light rain showers24 °C0.2 mm30 km/h
11:00Rain showers24 °C0.3 mm31 km/h

Next 7 days

DayConditionsLowHighRain outlook
Fri 16/10Fair22 °C24 °Crain possible · 0.9 mm
Sat 17/10Light rain showers22 °C24 °Crain likely · 5.2 mm
Sun 18/10Partly cloudy21 °C25 °Crain likely · 3.7 mm
Tue 20/10Rain showers21 °C25 °Crain likely · 6.4 mm
Wed 21/10Partly cloudy21 °C25 °Crain likely · 3.3 mm
Thu 22/10Partly cloudy22 °C25 °Crain likely · 3.8 mm
Fri 23/10Light rain showers23 °C25 °Crain likely · 4.3 mm

This column is our own reading: the global model does not publish a probability of precipitation for this region, so we classify the day from the forecast symbol and the total in millimetres. It is not an official probability figure.

Low, high and rain for the next 7 days in MackayChart of the next 7 days in Mackay: each day’s vertical band runs from the low to the high (from 21 °C to 25 °C across the week) and the bar at the base shows forecast rain, 28 mm in total.20222426°Cmm24220.9Fri 16/1024225.2Sat 17/1025213.7Sun 18/1025216.4Tue 20/1025213.3Wed 21/1025223.8Thu 22/1025234.3Fri 23/10

Australia/Brisbane

Our own chart, drawn from the 7-day forecast for Mackay shown above.

What each number means

Rain (mm)
1 millimetre of rain is 1 litre of water per square metre. Up to 2 mm in a day is drizzle; from 10 mm it is proper rain; more than 50 mm in a few hours is the amount that floods streets.
Humidity
Relative humidity is how much water vapour the air holds compared with the most it can hold at that temperature. Above 80% sweat evaporates slowly and heat feels worse; below 30% your throat and eyes dry out.
Dew point
The dew point is the temperature at which the air would start to condense. The closer it is to the air temperature, the muggier it feels. Above 20 °C the air already feels heavy.
Feels like
"Feels like" combines temperature, wind and humidity: strong wind carries heat away from the body, so it feels colder than the thermometer; high humidity in the heat makes it feel warmer.
Wind
Wind is given as a speed and the direction it blows from. Up to 20 km/h you barely notice it; at 40 km/h it moves branches and parasols; above 60 km/h it brings down trees and roof tiles.
Cloud cover
Cloud cover as a percentage is how much of the sky is covered. Up to 20% is a clear sky; above 80% the sun barely gets through.
Chance of rain
The model does not publish a probability of precipitation for this region. This column is our own reading: the global model does not publish a probability of precipitation for this region, so we classify the day from the forecast symbol and the total in millimetres. It is not an official probability figure.

Month-by-month climate

In October, Mackay averages 24 °C and about 33 mm of rain over the month, on the 25-year Meteorological and Solar Monthly & Annual Climatologies (January 2001 - December 2025) climatology.

Warmest month

February

Coldest month

July

Wettest month

February

Driest month

August

MonthMean temperatureRainMean humidity
January27 °C224 mm79%
February27 °C253 mm80%
March27 °C197 mm79%
April25 °C87 mm77%
May23 °C54 mm73%
June21 °C50 mm74%
July20 °C30 mm73%
August20 °C20 mm72%
September22 °C21 mm74%
October24 °C33 mm74%
November25 °C64 mm74%
December27 °C136 mm77%
Average temperature and rainfall month by month in MackayChart of the Mackay normals over 25-year Meteorological and Solar Monthly & Annual Climatologies (January 2001 - December 2025): the line is each month’s mean temperature, peaking in February and bottoming out in July, and the bars are the month’s average rainfall. The current month is highlighted.2022242628°Cmm0100200300JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Our own chart, from the NASA POWER 25-year Meteorological and Solar Monthly & Annual Climatologies (January 2001 - December 2025) climatology for the coordinates of Mackay.

Frequently asked questions

Will it rain tomorrow in Mackay?
rain likely. Rain: 5.2 mm. Low 22 °C, High 24 °C.
What is the temperature in Mackay right now?
24 °C, fair. Feels like: 24 °C. Humidity: 69%.
What will the weather be like at the weekend in Mackay?
Sat 17/10: light rain showers, 22 °C / 24 °C, rain likely. Sun 18/10: partly cloudy, 21 °C / 25 °C, rain likely.
Which is the wettest month in Mackay?
February — ~253 mm (25-year Meteorological and Solar Monthly & Annual Climatologies (January 2001 - December 2025), NASA POWER).
How far ahead does this Mackay forecast go?
This page shows 7 days. The model run used here is from 16/10/2026, 01:18 UTC, and the page fetches a new one every 30 minutes.

Nearby cities

Forecasts for places near Mackay:

How to read this page

How to read the min and the max

The week’s high (25 °C) arrives in the afternoon, about two hours after solar noon; the low (21 °C) just before sunrise. Both are air temperature in the shade, two metres above ground — in direct sun or over asphalt a thermometer reads higher.

Where this number comes from

The Mackay forecast comes from MET Norway, a partir do ECMWF HRES e, na área nórdica, do MEPS, run of 16/10/2026, 01:18 UTC. The month-by-month climate comes from NASA POWER, climatology of 25-year Meteorological and Solar Monthly & Annual Climatologies (January 2001 - December 2025). Both are credited in full at the foot of this page.

What a forecast cannot promise

Out to two days accuracy is high; by day seven the trend matters more than the exact figure. For Mackay the model publishes no rain probability, so the expectation column is our reading.

Severe weather warnings

This page is informational. For official warnings of storms, gales or flooding affecting Mackay, go to your national weather service through the World Meteorological Organization warning portal.

WMO Severe Weather Information Centre

Understanding the weather and climate of Mackay

Is this week in Mackay above or below the October normal?

The average of the next 7 days in Mackay works out at 23 °C, against a normal of 24 °C for October over 25-year Meteorological and Solar Monthly & Annual Climatologies (January 2001 - December 2025). The gap is under one degree, so the week sits squarely inside what the season normally brings.

Within the week the highest maximum lands on Fri 23/10 (25 °C) and the lowest minimum on Tue 20/10 (21 °C). Forecast rain adds up to 28 mm, roughly 84% of everything Mackay gets in an average October (33 mm). The wettest day is Tue 20/10, with 6.4 mm.

When is the wettest and the driest month in Mackay?

On the 25-year Meteorological and Solar Monthly & Annual Climatologies (January 2001 - December 2025) climatology, the wettest month in Mackay is February, at about 253 mm, and the driest is August, at 20 mm. The gap is 13 times: Mackay has a clearly separated wet season and dry season, so planning building work, travel or planting around the calendar genuinely pays. For October, the month you are reading this in, the average is 33 mm.

What does the dew point say about how Mackay feels?

Right now in Mackay the air is at 24 °C with a dew point of 18 °C and relative humidity of 69%. That distance between temperature and dew point is the comfortable band: the body can cool itself by evaporation without effort.

What is the climate of Mackay like through the year?

The warmest month in Mackay is February (27 °C on average) and the coldest is July (20 °C), a swing of about 7 °C around an annual mean of 24 °C. With a swing that size the seasons show up in the wardrobe, but none of them is severe.

Because Mackay lies in the southern hemisphere, at 21.15° south, summer falls in December, January and February — which is why the warmest month shows up at either end of the calendar.

How far is Mackay from Townsville?

The nearest large city to Mackay is Townsville, about 324 km away in a straight line, to the north-west, with 201,313 inhabitants. With more than two hundred kilometres between them, using the Townsville forecast for Mackay is a common mistake: these are weather regimes that can diverge for days. Being larger, Townsville shows up in more searches, and plenty of people end up reading its forecast assuming it covers Mackay.

Words on this page

Apparent temperature

The temperature the body actually feels, rather than the one on the thermometer. It combines air temperature with wind, which carries heat away faster, and humidity, which slows the evaporation of sweat. That is why 30 °C in dry air with a breeze is easier than 28 °C in still, muggy air.

Apparent temperature

Dew point

The temperature air would have to cool to, at constant pressure and moisture, for water to start condensing. The closer the dew point sits to the air temperature, the less room the vapour has and the muggier the day feels.

Dew point

Millimetre of rain

The depth of water rain would leave on a flat surface with no run-off. One millimetre is one litre per square metre, no matter how large the area measured is.

Standard definition by World Meteorological Organization (WMO) · Millimetre of rain

Beaufort scale

A 0-to-12 scale that describes wind strength by what it visibly does: smoke rising straight up at 0, leaves moving at 3, large branches bending at 6, roof damage at 9, devastation at 12. It began at sea in the nineteenth century and now has an official equivalence in metres per second.

Standard definition by World Meteorological Organization (WMO) · Beaufort scale

Forecast model

A program that solves the equations of the atmosphere on a grid of points and steps forward in time from the state observed now. Your city forecast is the model value at the nearest grid point, which is why two neighbouring towns get almost the same numbers.

Standard definition by MET Norway (Meteorologisk institutt) · Forecast model

Model run

The time the model was executed with the latest observations. Every forecast belongs to a run, and runs age: one from six hours ago knows nothing about the shower that started afterwards. It is the first thing to check when two sources disagree.

Standard definition by MET Norway (Meteorologisk institutt) · Model run

Climate normal

The average of a climate element — temperature, rainfall, humidity — computed over a long, standardised period, usually thirty years. It does not predict anything: it says what is typical for that place in that month, and gives you a ruler for calling a week warm or wet.

Standard definition by World Meteorological Organization (WMO) · Climate normal

See the full weather glossary

Source, model and licence

Model
MET Norway, a partir do ECMWF HRES e, na área nórdica, do MEPS
Model run
16/10/2026, 01:18 UTC
Month-by-month climate
NASA POWER — Climatology (MERRA-2, 2001–2020) — The data was obtained from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center's Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) project — Climatology API v2. Dados públicos da NASA, citação obrigatória.
Cities, coordinates and population
Dados de cidades: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)

The page fetches fresh data every 30 minutes. Informational content. For severe weather warnings, follow your country’s official weather service and civil protection authority.