Townsville climate and weather conditions

A good thing about sailing in North Queensland is the great barrier reef. In the Townsville area the reef is about 40 nautical miles offshore is generally too far for a slow displacement vessel to day visit. The outer reef off Townsville is patchwork type  it does reduce the south pacific oceans swells to about 1-2m wave height in normal conditions.  It can get to around 3 m inside the reef in a 30 knot S Easter. Checking the marine weather forecast and tides before going is most important.

Usually 5-15 knot forecasts meant a good day out, 

The Climate of the tropical Townsville coastal area is wet and dry seasons. The wet - cyclone season runs from December to March. 

The wet season is ok for sailing as sunburn is less of a problem. Its often cloudy with rain showers, extra runoff makes waters near river mouths murky.  Stinger jellyfish also breed and take to the waters so protective clothing's worn (stinger suits) and vinegar is aboard. The vinegar prevents stinging cells in a tentacle from firing into the skin. Haven't witnessed a stinger attack yet, its relatively rare but they usually happen to unwary swimmers outside the lifesavers stinger nets at the beach. 

Winds tend to be light from the northerly sector NE, N maybe NW but can still come from the E and SE. It a good time for keel yachts to head south on these favorable winds and get clear of the cyclone belt, from Gladstone south is safe. Cylones do hit any one place on the coast every few years. The main thing is to have a trailer boat ashore above predicted storm surge height. At home in a garage, away from trees and tied down if outside is best. 

The dry season from March to November is what its all about.  Little to no rain and E to SE trade winds. Cruisers and tour boats are out there to explore the reef waters. The water is clearer and better for diving.

A good local weather forecast site is willyweather. Managed to add their weather widget (with site link) to the side bar for quick reference.

I'm also a fan of Windy animated weather maps . Winds and rain for 5 days ahead ,  1 hour rain radar and satellite image animations are free. (Premium sub for longer or more detail, but you can see the info still if needed) There are many maps to checkout from rain, sea currents, sea temperatures etc. It's easy to see predicted future cyclones forming up on windy.

The rain radar and forecast wind maps and weather warnings from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) are good. Rainfall and flood maps information too.

Also like "Seabreeze" forecasts, Townsville (and places beyond). They have good forecast charts for wind, tides, rain and real time wind and tide charts for last 12 hours.

Wind chart

Tides and temp charts

The weather forecasts are checked before each planned trip, and fair weather can be chosen, rather than fight the bad stuff.