Best time to visit Canberra

Re-score for me — drag the dial — every chart on the page recolours live for your heat limit 27°C
I'm comfortable up to 27°C feels-like
22° heat-averse 30° heat-loving

Default 27 °C is the upper edge of the Holiday Climate Index "ideal comfort" band (Scott, Rutty, Amelung & Tang, 2016). Above this, most warm-tourism travellers report measurable discomfort.

Saved to this browser. Changes update the strips below.
Recent · 2020-2024
Interest Google Trends 2021-2025 searches, not arrivals (?)
Day · avg daily high (?)
Night · avg overnight low (?)
UV index · On a typical day around midday, UV is about this (?)
101085322357811
On the sunniest 1 in 10 days, UV reaches this — and even higher
13121064791113
PM2.5 air quality · on a typical day (?)
555554454454
On the worst 1 in 10 days, PM2.5 reaches this — and even higher
987878696687
January 9/10 feels 26°C · HCI 90/100
Day 27° · Night 15° · cools 12° at night ☀ UV 10.2 (very high) 50% humidity 18 km/h wind 9 rain days (104h) 259h sun
Thermal 10
Sky 9
Rain 7
Wind 10

Higher = better, including rain & wind (green = "doesn't hurt the score", not "lots of it").

How is this scored? HCI / Steadman / CCI gate — full methodology and citations below.

Compare with another destination

Add as many as you like — stacked below the main strips above. Each row is just the recent-window score strip and (for beach destinations) sea-temperature strip.

Tours in Canberra

6 top-rated tours via Viator. Booking links earn this site a commission at no cost to you. Map locations are approximate (centred on Canberra).

  1. 1Canberra Airport Transfers5.00★ (1)from $101
  2. 2Explorer Loop Bus Canberra - Hop on Hop Off sightseeing4.90★ (48)from $50
  3. 3Private Canberra Winery Tour with lunch5.00★ (71)5hfrom $233
  4. 4Historic and Cultural Canberra Private Walking Tour5.00★ (12)2hfrom $359
  5. 5Canberra - Sydney Private Transfers5.00★ (1)from $502
  6. 6Astonishing Bar Crawl in Canberra: Can I Get a Drink Canberra5.00★ (1)1h 30mfrom $15

Last refreshed 2026-06-15.

Similar climatesMontevideo91% · Melbourne91% · Colonia del Sacramento90%

Other destinations with the most-alike year-round climate to Canberra (apparent temperature, rain hours, sunshine — matched within the same trip-profile). The ±N chip compares each match's typical score for the current month against Canberra's. Based on the 2020-2024 climatology, not this year's actual weather.

Month-by-month

Month Temp °C Feels °C Rain days Rain h Rain h/day Humidity Wind km/h Sun h UV Interest Score
Jan 15–27 26 9 104 11.6 50% 18 259 10 Moderate 9
Feb 14–25 25 8 97 12.1 52% 18 235 10 Quiet 9
Mar 12–23 22 9 114 12.7 54% 17 226 8 Quiet 9
Apr 8–18 17 7 91 13.0 61% 16 200 5 Quiet 8
May 4–14 12 6 83 13.8 68% 16 198 3 Quiet 7
Jun 3–11 8 7 86 12.3 73% 16 161 2 Moderate 6
Jul 2–11 8 7 98 14.0 70% 16 180 2 Moderate 6
Aug 3–13 10 8 109 13.6 67% 18 195 3 Moderate 6
Sep 5–16 13 6 89 14.8 56% 19 227 5 Quiet 8
Oct 7–19 16 10 124 12.4 53% 20 234 7 Peak 8
Nov 11–22 21 11 142 12.9 51% 19 241 8 Peak 8
Dec 12–25 23 9 92 10.2 47% 19 282 11 Peak 9

UV Index in Canberra by Month

UV index in Canberra peaks at 11 (very high) in December, dropping to 2 (low) in June. January, February, November, December reach very high or extreme levels — apply SPF 50+, wear a hat and protective clothing, and limit direct sun between 11:00 and 17:00.

Best months in detail

January

9/10

15–27°C · 9 rain days (104h) · 259 sun hours · 50% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 10 (very high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 13 (extreme)

February

9/10

14–25°C · 8 rain days (97h) · 235 sun hours · 52% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 10 (very high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 12 (extreme)

December

9/10

12–25°C (feels 23°C) · 9 rain days (92h) · 282 sun hours · 47% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 11 (very high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 13 (extreme)

Every month

Show the other 9 months in detail

March

9/10

12–23°C (feels 22°C) · 9 rain days (114h) · 226 sun hours · 54% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 8 (high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 10 (very high)

April

8/10

8–18°C (feels 17°C) · 7 rain days (91h) · 200 sun hours · 61% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 5 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 6 (high)

May

7/10

4–14°C (feels 12°C) · 6 rain days (83h) · 198 sun hours · 68% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 3 (low) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 4 (moderate)

June

6/10

3–11°C (feels 8°C) · 7 rain days (86h) · 161 sun hours · 73% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 2 (low)

July

6/10

2–11°C (feels 8°C) · 7 rain days (98h) · 180 sun hours · 70% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 2 (low)

August

6/10

3–13°C (feels 10°C) · 8 rain days (109h) · 195 sun hours · 67% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 3 (moderate)

September

8/10

5–16°C (feels 13°C) · 6 rain days (89h) · 227 sun hours · 56% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 5 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 7 (high)

October

8/10

7–19°C (feels 16°C) · 10 rain days (124h) · 234 sun hours · 53% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 7 (high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 9 (very high)

November

8/10

11–22°C (feels 21°C) · 11 rain days (142h) · 241 sun hours · 51% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 8 (very high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 11 (very high)

Frequently asked questions about visiting Canberra

When is the best time to visit Canberra?

January is the highest-scoring month (9/10 on the Holiday Climate Index). Typical conditions: 15–27°C (9 rainy days). The top three months by score are January, February, December.

What is the worst time to visit Canberra?

June is the lowest-scoring month (6/10). Typical conditions: 3–11°C (7 rainy days).

When are crowds lowest in Canberra?

Search-interest seasonality (Google Trends 2021-2025) is lowest in May and peaks in November. Interest tracks both in-trip visitors and lead-time planners, so treat it as a "destination is on people's minds" signal rather than literal arrivals.

Which months in Canberra have good weather but fewer tourists?

February (climate 9/10, crowd index 11) and March (climate 9/10, crowd index 9) — shoulder months with above-average climate and below-median search-interest. Often the best value-for-weather trade.

What is the UV index in Canberra by month?

UV peaks at 11 (very high) in December and is lowest in June at 2 (low). Monthly peak values: Jan 10, Feb 10, Mar 8, Apr 5, May 3, Jun 2, Jul 2, Aug 3, Sep 5, Oct 7, Nov 8, Dec 11. January, February, November, December reach very high or extreme levels — apply SPF 50+, wear a hat and protective clothing, and limit direct sun between 11:00 and 17:00.

What is the UV index in Canberra in December?

December is the peak UV month in Canberra, with a daily-peak UV index of 11 (very high). At this level, sunburn can occur in under 20 minutes on unprotected fair skin. Apply SPF 50+, wear protective clothing and a hat, and avoid direct midday sun (11:00–17:00).

How high can UV get in Canberra on the sunniest days?

Most days look like the monthly average, but on the sunniest ~1 in 10 days UV climbs higher than the mean suggests. January is the worst case: typical days average UV 10 (very high), but the top 10% of days reach UV 13 (extreme) — and even higher. Months where the sunniest days routinely exceed the typical reading: January, February, March, April, May, September, October, November, December. Plan sun protection for the worst case, not the average.