The history of the Cairns Bureau of Meteorology

• The humble beginnings of Cairns Airport extend back to 1928 when a Mr Tom McDonald operated a Gipsy Moth aircraft from a sand strip in the location of the current airport.
• Cairns Airport Meteorological Office was first established in 1941 during the Second World War as a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Meteorological Office and was home to many Australian and American war planes during the hostilities.
• The original Bureau building was a small low set wooden structure located just beside the tarmac parking area and housed RAAF Meteorological Officers and Radio Operators who were later reclassified as Flight Service Operators.

Weather Cairns

Current Situation
09.02.2012

partly cloudy
32°C
Sunrise 06:07:00
Sunset 18:51:00

Forecast Day 1
09.02.2012

partly cloudy
23 °C (Low)
32°C (High)

Forecast Day 2
10.02.2012

fair
23 °C (Low)
32°C (High)

• In the early 1960's the Met Office moved into a DCA two storey Operations Building, housing Flight Service and Air Traffic Controllers. This was to remain the Pilot Briefing Area up until the early 1990's.
• The Saddle Mountain Radar which provides weather watch coverage for Cairns and the surrounding area was installed in 1962. It has received several upgrades since then, the last being in 1992.
• Cairns officially becoming an International Airport in 1984.