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Two very similar climates - hot, humid and tropical. It was also very hard to tell their differences from their BOM pages (odd you didn't link Wiki?).
Wiki is often dodgy so decided to go with the BOM 1981-2010 so the comparison is standardised. Curiously the average annual high for both cities is exactly the same!
I'd pick Townsville myself, more sunshine, probably more thunderstorms and better chance at heatwaves than Cairns and the cooler winters would provide a bit of relief and variety while still being warm enough to grow coconut palms and other tropical species in all their glory.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Candle
Cairns for warmer winters, higher precipitation, better sunshine, and lower record highs in summer. Both are decent enough though.
Cairns is far superior in my opinion. I grew up there and it has way better scenery and far more excellent swimming spots due to the higher level of rainfall. It is still a very sunny place considering the level of rainfall. Also It doesn't get as cold in winter.
I also think the cairns airport site is a bit cooler than anywhere else in the cairns area. Even though all the long term averages are from there. Dewpoints are usually slightly higher in Cairns on average than in Townsville as well.
Current temps at time of this post
Cairns Airport - Temp: 31.8C Dew 25.9C
Cairns Racecourse - Temp: 34.8C Dew: 24.1C
Townsville - Temp: 32.8C Dew: 24.1C
The Townsville Airport site is also right on the coast, so it would be hotter inland. Areas like Bohle Plains, Douglas and Kelso probably average closer to the mid 30's in summer and likely exceed 40C every summer.
Wiki is often dodgy so decided to go with the BOM 1981-2010 so the comparison is standardised. Curiously the average annual high for both cities is exactly the same!
I'd pick Townsville myself, more sunshine, probably more thunderstorms and better chance at heatwaves than Cairns and the cooler winters would provide a bit of relief and variety while still being warm enough to grow coconut palms and other tropical species in all their glory.
The Townsville Airport site is also right on the coast, so it would be hotter inland. Areas like Bohle Plains, Douglas and Kelso probably average closer to the mid 30's in summer and likely exceed 40C every summer.
I was unsure about that, thanks for the heads up. Though I've been to Townsville I've never caught a plane there or noted the location of the airport.
Both look pretty atrocious, I lived in Georgia and Mississippi in middle school and it's only been about seven-eight years so it's fresh on my mind. With that being said I played soccer and often worked outside in the summer and it was awful 100% of the time. These climates look way worse than even those... I'd hurl myself to the saltwater crocodiles if I had to choose between those two places. But Townsville though...
I went on holiday to Cairns and Townsville about a year ago. The climate related aspect of the scenery is much better in Cairns than Townsville (rainforest covered hills and mountains behind the city rather than dryish savanna that I didn't find so interesting or attractive). Townsville isn't bad, but Cairns was a lot better in my opinion.
Having more cloud is preferable in that kind of climate I think as the sun can be uncomfortably bright around midday (dazzles the eyes). Even if it's partly cloudy it's still very bright and nothing like overcast weather in northern Europe.
If wasnt for the occasional cyclone, I'd rate it A+.
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