Thailand Climate

 Thailand Climate

The climate of Thailand is tropical in nature, driven by monsoon and divided into microclimates due to the geographical shape of the country that allows it to lie within many meridians. While Thailand as a whole is warm throughout the year, these microclimates allow for regional variation in temperatures and seasons. For example, The Central, Northern and Eastern territories of Thailand experience three seasons while the southern coastal region experiences only two. Below let us take a closer look at these weather variations.

The 3 seasons of the Central, Northern and Eastern Territories:

 The Cold season: A relatively cool dry period that runs from November to February when the monsoon blows northwest. Considering its location in the tropics, the weather is still warm enough throughout the country like in Bangkok and Ayutthaya where the temperature would be cool in late December or early January. In contrast, most of the areas encompassed by the northern mountains can approach temperature of Zero Celsius. The average temperature in this period range between 19° C and 25° C in the day and between 10° C and 16° C at night. As a result, these are considered the most suitable months to visit Thailand.

 The Hot season: Summer in Thailand starts in March until mid-May with occasional rain. The inland areas including Bangkok and Ayutthaya often have intense heat and high humidity during this time with average temperatures ranging from 29° C to 35° C. At times there can be temperature peaks even higher than 40° C. The temperature usually hits its highest point in mid-April. This intense summer heat leaves residents eager for the upcoming rains, which begin sporadically falling after mid-April.

 The Rainy season: This period starts from May until October influenced by the southwest monsoon during which rainfall is more frequent and intense. However, as can be said for the term “cold season”, the term "rainy season" can be slightly misleading. While the rain during this season can be intense with furious storms and showers, they usually do not last more than a day. Sunny are also not uncommon during this time as well. The average temperature during this time is between 28° C and 30° C with the humidity usually well over 70%.

The Southern coastal region of Thailand has in practice only 2 seasons:

 The Dry season: A cool dry period that runs from November to April when the monsoon blows north-west. Characterized by the constant sunny weather, this season brings bearable heat from November until January. The temperature in February to April tend to rise while condensed clouds gathering throughout the day offer refreshing short rains in the evening. This is definitely the best time of year for Thai beach lovers as you could go in the ocean almost at everyday of the months. The temperature does vary depending on the month. November, December and January have average between 27° C and 32° C, while the temperature rises between 29° C and 35° C in February, March and higher in April.

 The Rainy season: Fortunately for beach lovers, Thailand's two coasts have slightly different rainy seasons allowing visitors to find sunny beaches nearly year round. On the Andaman or west coast, where Phuket, Krabi and the Phi Phi Islands are located, the southwest monsoon brings heavy storms from April to October. In the east coast region, otherwise known as the Gulf of Thailand, you will find Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. Most of the rain in this region falls between September and December. The monsoon season on the west coast provides less frequent precipitation in contrast to the east coast, which on the average is subjected to more continuous and intense rain storms. Average temperatures during this time range between 27° C and 32° C and the humidity increases to over 70% with peaks that reach 90%. Overall, the southern part of Thailand, particularly the Andaman Coast, is the one with the highest rainfall: about 2400 mm for year, compared to the central and northern regions of Thailand, both of which experiencing on the average about 1,400 mm per year.