For any trip, we always need to consider weather conditions at the place we are going to. Weather conditions can easily determine what kind of itinerary you’re going to have, or what kind of clothing and travel accessories you need to pack.
Not only for a short travel trip, understanding the weather of a place you are going to stay long term is very important. If you are planning to stay in Thailand long-term or work remotely there, you will need to know what you are getting yourself into.
In the previous article, we talked about the best time to visit Thailand. Now we are going to dive deeper into the Thailand weather topic.
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Thailand weather year round review
Have you ever seen Thailand on the world globe? Yes, Thailand is located just slightly above the equator. With this geographical position, Thailand has a tropical climate with 3 main seasons namely summer, rainy, and winter. Don’t be deceived by the word “winter” here. Winter in Thailand is not comparable to the winters in the 4-seasons countries like North America or Europe.
Thailand weather is mainly hot and humid, with an average temperature around 20 to 40 degrees Celsius. About 120 to 170 days in a year, you would see rainfall in Thailand. Humidity in Thailand ranges between 40 to 80% depending on the season and geography.
We will go into more details in the next sections but in general, November through to January would be the best time to visit Thailand weather-wise. This is because the temperature will be slightly lower and you’ll see less rainfall during this period.
Due to favorable geographic location, fortunately, Thailand is not very prone to extreme weather. However, you might have heard of past incidents of flooding in Thailand that were caused by tropical storms. Apart from that, there have been very few/no weather-related natural disasters.
Different seasons in Thailand
Thailand weather in Summer: hot and dry
Summer in Thailand is between February and April. Among these 3 months, April is the hottest month for Thailand. Summer temperature ranges from 25 to 37 degrees Celsius, however, you can expect a hot & dry temperature. This is because, despite the heat, humidity remains not too high at 50-60%.
The heat can be scorching, so always prepare your sunscreen, cover your body with more clothing if needed, and go under the shade if needed. Thailand’s Songkran falls in April and people celebrate it with water on the street. The weather is so hot during that time and they just want to get rid of the heat by shooting or throwing water at each other.
Summer however, is also the season of exotic fruits in Thailand!
Thailand weather in Rainy season: hot and humid
After summer, the rainy season will follow starting from May to mid-October. The temperature ranges from 24 to 33 degrees, however, both the rain and humidity make the heat much harder to endure. Unfortunately, for almost 6 months every year, Thailand is hot and humid.
Rainy seasons see almost 2-3x more rainfall than other seasons. Average humidity also goes up to 70-80%. Needless to say, the rainy season is our least favorite season. You can easily sweat right when you walk outdoors right after taking a refreshing shower. For folks coming from drier climates, you might need to adapt to this level of humidity once you come to Thailand.
"Winter" in Thailand: less hot and drier
The Winter season starts from mid-October onwards and lasts until February. We would describe Winter in Thailand as a “less hot” season and not exactly “cold/freezing”. The average temperature only drops to 21 to 30 degrees except for a week or so where the temperature might drop to below 20 degrees.
Winter is the driest season in Thailand with the least rainfall and the humidity can go as low as 40% to 60%. As Southeast Asians ourselves, winter is our favorite season. Not only because we can conveniently travel without having to go under the rain, but also the drier weather is more comfortable for the body. And, you can walk outdoors without sweating profusely. In our opinion, you can experience the best Thailand weather in this season.
During winter, some locations in the mountainous area may see temperatures drop to below 10 degrees. This creates a domestic tourism trend among the locals to travel up north and visit the mountainside to enjoy some cool weather (especially during the new year).
Weather in different parts of Thailand
It makes sense for countries spread across very big pieces of land, like China, to have very different weather in each district. While Thailand is not that large, we can see slight climate distinctions in different regions of Thailand.
In general, northern Thailand is cooler and drier with less rainfall, while the south is the opposite. To put this into context, Northern Thailand’s average temperature is usually 1-3 degrees lower than the rest of the country. Northern Thailand also sees less rainfall, about 20-50 days per year less than Southern Thailand.
We are lucky that Southern Thailand is blessed with a lot of beautiful beaches and islands. So if you are in the south, you can always entertain yourself with a beach resort trip and take a dip into the sea.
So, when is the best time to visit Thailand weather-wise?
If you are in Thailand for a short trip and you want to go outdoors, we would recommend visiting Thailand between November to February. The weather will be cooler and drier. You’ll feel more comfortable moving around without feeling suffocated by the humidity. Also, with less rainfall, you can avoid getting stuck in the rain and you can enjoy outdoor activities to the fullest.
However, there are many factors that you need to take into account when planning a trip in Thailand. Weather is one of them, but not the only one. For example, you might want to plan your trip according to the cultural festivals. For example, if you want to see the Songkran water festival, you may want to go in April. Or if you want to see Loy Krathong, you might want to visit in November.
Understanding Thailand’s weather will help you in making the right decision for your trip. But ultimately, it’s your choice!
Go visit our other posts on Thailand: