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Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Chiang Mai Thailand

In Chiang Mai, the wet season is oppressive and overcast, the dry season is mostly clear, and it is hot year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 59°F to 97°F and is rarely below 53°F or above 102°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Chiang Mai for warm-weather activities is from mid November to early March.

Climate in Chiang Mai

hotswelteringhotwarmJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow75%75%7%7%clearovercastprecipitation: 7.7 inprecipitation: 7.7 in0.2 in0.2 inmuggy: 94%muggy: 94%4%4%drydrytourism score: 7.6tourism score: 7.63.13.1
Chiang Mai weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The hot season lasts for 1.9 months, from March 11 to May 6, with an average daily high temperature above 94°F. The hottest month of the year in Chiang Mai is April, with an average high of 97°F and low of 74°F.

The cool season lasts for 2.3 months, from November 17 to January 25, with an average daily high temperature below 86°F. The coldest month of the year in Chiang Mai is January, with an average low of 59°F and high of 85°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in Chiang Mai

Average High and Low Temperature in Chiang MaihotcoolcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°F110°F110°FJan 884°FJan 884°FApr 1297°FApr 1297°F59°F59°F74°F74°FMar 1194°FMar 1194°FNov 1786°FNov 1786°F66°F66°F67°F67°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 85°F90°F95°F97°F93°F90°F88°F88°F88°F88°F86°F83°F
Temp. 71°F75°F81°F85°F83°F82°F81°F80°F80°F79°F76°F71°F
Low 59°F62°F68°F74°F76°F76°F76°F75°F74°F72°F67°F61°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in Chiang Mai

Average Hourly Temperature in Chiang MaiJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowcoolcoolcomfortablecomfortablecomfortablewarmhotcomfortablesweltering
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Santa Fe y la Mar, Mexico (9,716 miles away) and Mwaya, Tanzania (4,848 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Chiang Mai (view comparison).

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In Chiang Mai, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Chiang Mai begins around October 26 and lasts for 5.7 months, ending around April 18.

The clearest month of the year in Chiang Mai is February, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 75% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 18 and lasts for 6.3 months, ending around October 26.

The cloudiest month of the year in Chiang Mai is July, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 93% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories in Chiang Mai

Cloud Cover Categories in Chiang MaiclearerclearercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Feb 2075%Feb 2075%Aug 17%Aug 17%Oct 2641%Oct 2641%Apr 1842%Apr 1842%NowNowclearmostly clearovercastpartly cloudymostly cloudy
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 27%25%35%57%82%91%93%92%85%67%44%31%
Clearer 73%75%65%43%18%9%7%8%15%33%56%69%

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Chiang Mai varies very significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.8 months, from April 24 to October 18, with a greater than 31% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Chiang Mai is August, with an average of 18.0 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.2 months, from October 18 to April 24. The month with the fewest wet days in Chiang Mai is January, with an average of 0.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Chiang Mai is August, with an average of 18.0 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 61% on September 2.

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Chiang Mai

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Chiang MaiwetdrydryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Sep 261%Sep 261%Jan 122%Jan 122%Apr 2431%Apr 2431%Oct 1831%Oct 1831%NowNowrain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 0.5d0.9d2.2d7.0d14.5d13.3d14.9d18.0d16.4d10.0d3.4d1.0d

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Chiang Mai experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 9.0 months, from March 7 to December 6, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Chiang Mai is August, with an average rainfall of 7.0 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 3.0 months, from December 6 to March 7. The month with the least rain in Chiang Mai is January, with an average rainfall of 0.2 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in Chiang Mai

Average Monthly Rainfall in Chiang MairainJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in2 in2 in4 in4 in6 in6 in8 in8 in10 in10 in12 in12 inSep 37.7 inSep 37.7 inFeb 50.2 inFeb 50.2 inMay 225.5 inMay 225.5 inMar 70.5 inMar 70.5 inDec 60.5 inDec 60.5 in
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 0.2″0.2″0.6″2.1″5.3″4.2″4.8″7.0″7.0″3.4″1.3″0.4″

The length of the day in Chiang Mai varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 0 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 13 hours, 16 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Chiang Mai

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Chiang MaiJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 6 minMar 2012 hr, 6 minMar 2013 hr, 16 minJun 2113 hr, 16 minJun 2112 hr, 7 minSep 2212 hr, 7 minSep 2211 hr, 0 minDec 2111 hr, 0 minDec 21nightnightdayNowNow
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 11.1h11.5h12.0h12.6h13.0h13.2h13.1h12.7h12.2h11.7h11.3h11.0h

The earliest sunrise is at 5:46 AM on June 5, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 14 minutes later at 6:59 AM on January 19. The earliest sunset is at 5:45 PM on November 24, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 20 minutes later at 7:05 PM on July 5.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Chiang Mai during 2024.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in Chiang Mai

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in Chiang MaiJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJun 55:46 AMJun 55:46 AM7:05 PMJul 57:05 PMJul 5Nov 245:45 PMNov 245:45 PM6:59 AMJan 196:59 AMJan 19daynightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunset
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in Chiang Mai

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in Chiang MaiJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM000010101010202020203030303040404040505050606070708000001010101020202020303030304040404050505050606060707080804890NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in Chiang Mai

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Chiang Mai experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 8.3 months, from March 29 to December 7, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 27% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Chiang Mai is August, with 29.2 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Chiang Mai is January, with 1.5 days that are muggy or worse.

Humidity Comfort Levels in Chiang Mai

Humidity Comfort Levels in Chiang MaimuggyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jan 64%Jan 64%94%Aug 1194%Aug 11Mar 2927%Mar 2927%Dec 727%Dec 727%NowNowmiserablemiserableoppressiveoppressivemuggymuggyhumidhumidcomfortablecomfortabledrydry
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 1.5d1.7d5.2d15.1d26.4d27.9d29.0d29.2d28.2d27.0d16.8d5.3d

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Chiang Mai does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining within 0.5 miles per hour of 2.5 miles per hour throughout.

Average Wind Speed in Chiang Mai

Average Wind Speed in Chiang MaiJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0.0 mph0.0 mph0.5 mph0.5 mph1.0 mph1.0 mph1.5 mph1.5 mph2.0 mph2.0 mph2.5 mph2.5 mph3.0 mph3.0 mph3.5 mph3.5 mph4.0 mph4.0 mphMar 53.0 mphMar 53.0 mphSep 142.1 mphSep 142.1 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 2.62.92.92.72.52.72.62.42.12.22.42.5

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Chiang Mai varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 2.3 weeks, from January 12 to January 28; for 1.6 months, from May 5 to June 22; and for 2.6 weeks, from September 6 to September 24, with a peak percentage of 55% on June 6. The wind is most often from the west for 3.3 months, from January 28 to May 5 and for 2.5 months, from June 22 to September 6, with a peak percentage of 56% on March 26. The wind is most often from the east for 3.6 months, from September 24 to January 12, with a peak percentage of 40% on January 1.

Wind Direction in Chiang Mai

Wind Direction in Chiang MaiESWSWSEJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowwestsoutheastnorth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Chiang Mai throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Chiang Mai for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid November to early March, with a peak score in the second week of January.

Tourism Score in Chiang Mai

Tourism Score in Chiang Maibest timebest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810107.67.63.13.13.23.2NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Chiang Mai for hot-weather activities is from late February to mid April, with a peak score in the third week of March.

Beach/Pool Score in Chiang Mai

Beach/Pool Score in Chiang Maibest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810107.17.14.04.06.26.24.34.34.14.1NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationbeach/pool score
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Temperatures in Chiang Mai are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Chiang Mai

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Chiang MaiJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%100%Jan 1100%Jan 1100%Jul 2100%Jul 2NowNowcoolcomfortablewarmhotsweltering
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Growing Degree Days in Chiang Mai

Growing Degree Days in Chiang MaiJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F2,000°F2,000°F4,000°F4,000°F6,000°F6,000°F8,000°F8,000°F10,000°F10,000°FJan 590°FJan 590°FMar 171,800°FMar 171,800°FDec 3110,116°FDec 3110,116°FNowNow
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.1 months, from February 21 to April 23, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Chiang Mai is March, with an average of 6.3 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.5 months, from July 5 to September 22, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.9 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Chiang Mai is August, with an average of 4.6 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Chiang Mai

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Chiang MaibrightdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWhMar 266.4 kWhMar 266.4 kWhAug 254.5 kWhAug 254.5 kWhJul 54.9 kWhJul 54.9 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 5.25.96.36.25.55.24.84.64.85.15.04.9

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Chiang Mai are 18.790 deg latitude, 98.985 deg longitude, and 1,027 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Chiang Mai contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 148 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 1,027 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (4,573 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (7,723 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Chiang Mai is covered by artificial surfaces (95%), within 10 miles by cropland (59%) and trees (26%), and within 50 miles by trees (78%) and cropland (19%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Chiang Mai, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 2 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Chiang Mai.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Chiang Mai according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Chiang Mai is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Chiang Mai and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Chiang Mai and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.