Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Botum Sakor Cambodia

In Botum Sakor, the wet season is hot and overcast, the dry season is warm and partly cloudy, and it is oppressive year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 73°F to 88°F and is rarely below 69°F or above 92°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Botum Sakor for hot-weather activities is from late November to mid March.

The temperature in Botum Sakor varies so little throughout the year that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss hot and cold seasons.

In Botum Sakor, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Botum Sakor begins around November 16 and lasts for 4.4 months, ending around March 28.

The clearest month of the year in Botum Sakor is February, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 49% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around March 28 and lasts for 7.6 months, ending around November 16.

The cloudiest month of the year in Botum Sakor is August, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 94% of the time.

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

The wetter season lasts 6.1 months, from April 30 to November 2, with a greater than 44% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Botum Sakor is August, with an average of 24.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.9 months, from November 2 to April 30. The month with the fewest wet days in Botum Sakor is January, with an average of 2.7 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 Botum Sakor is August, with an average of 24.2 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 81% on August 7.

Rainfall

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. Botum Sakor experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Botum Sakor. The month with the most rain in Botum Sakor is August, with an average rainfall of 19.9 inches.

The month with the least rain in Botum Sakor is January, with an average rainfall of 0.7 inches.

The length of the day in Botum Sakor does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 46 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 28 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 12 hours, 47 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:41 AM on May 30, and the latest sunrise is 49 minutes later at 6:30 AM on January 27. The earliest sunset is at 5:39 PM on November 18, and the latest sunset is 55 minutes later at 6:33 PM on July 12.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Botum Sakor during 2024.

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.

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.

Botum Sakor experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 11 months, from January 24 to December 9, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 92% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Botum Sakor is May, with 31.0 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Botum Sakor is February, with 28.2 days that are muggy or worse.

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 Botum Sakor experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.7 months, from May 30 to September 20, with average wind speeds of more than 4.8 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Botum Sakor is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.0 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.3 months, from September 20 to May 30. The calmest month of the year in Botum Sakor is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 3.6 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Botum Sakor varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the west for 1.4 weeks, from February 2 to February 12 and for 5.7 months, from April 29 to October 21, with a peak percentage of 92% on August 13. The wind is most often from the south for 2.6 months, from February 12 to April 29, with a peak percentage of 51% on March 30. The wind is most often from the east for 3.3 months, from October 21 to February 2, with a peak percentage of 42% on January 1.

Botum Sakor is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 2.0 months, from April 6 to June 4, with an average temperature above 86°F. The month of the year in Botum Sakor with the warmest water is May, with an average temperature of 87°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 2.3 months, from December 8 to February 17, with an average temperature below 83°F. The month of the year in Botum Sakor with the coolest water is January, with an average temperature of 82°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Botum Sakor 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 Botum Sakor for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid December to late February, with a peak score in the last week of January.

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 Botum Sakor for hot-weather activities is from late November to mid March, with a peak score in the second week of February.

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 Botum Sakor 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.

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.

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 2.2 months, from January 22 to March 30, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.7 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Botum Sakor is February, with an average of 6.1 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 5.2 months, from May 13 to October 19, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.3 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Botum Sakor is June, with an average of 3.9 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Botum Sakor are 11.187 deg latitude, 103.471 deg longitude, and 66 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Botum Sakor contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 112 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 20 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (1,017 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (4,275 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Botum Sakor is covered by mangroves (71%), within 10 miles by trees (43%) and water (18%), and within 50 miles by trees (53%) and water (32%).