Climate and Average Weather Year Round at U-Tapao International Airport Thailand

At U-Tapao International Airport, the wet season is overcast, the dry season is partly cloudy, and it is hot and oppressive year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 71°F to 91°F and is rarely below 65°F or above 94°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit U-Tapao International Airport for hot-weather activities is from late November to early March.

The temperature at U-Tapao International Airport varies so little throughout the year that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss hot and cold seasons.

At U-Tapao International Airport, 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 at U-Tapao International Airport begins around November 14 and lasts for 4.4 months, ending around March 25.

The clearest month of the year at U-Tapao International Airport is January, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 54% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around March 25 and lasts for 7.6 months, ending around November 14.

The cloudiest month of the year at U-Tapao International Airport is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 93% 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 at U-Tapao International Airport varies very significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.9 months, from May 1 to October 31, with a greater than 42% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at U-Tapao International Airport is September, with an average of 24.0 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.1 months, from October 31 to May 1. The month with the fewest wet days at U-Tapao International Airport is December, with an average of 1.4 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 at U-Tapao International Airport is September, with an average of 24.0 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 81% on September 18.

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. U-Tapao International Airport experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 9.7 months, from February 16 to December 7, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain at U-Tapao International Airport is September, with an average rainfall of 10.4 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 2.3 months, from December 7 to February 16. The month with the least rain at U-Tapao International Airport is December, with an average rainfall of 0.3 inches.

The length of the day at U-Tapao International Airport does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 52 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 23 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 12 hours, 52 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:49 AM on May 31, and the latest sunrise is 53 minutes later at 6:42 AM on January 25. The earliest sunset is at 5:46 PM on November 19, and the latest sunset is 59 minutes later at 6:46 PM on July 10.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed at U-Tapao International Airport 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.

U-Tapao International Airport experiences significant seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 11 months, from January 12 to December 6, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 71% of the time. The month with the most muggy days at U-Tapao International Airport is May, with 31.0 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days at U-Tapao International Airport is December, with 20.4 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 at U-Tapao International Airport experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.8 months, from May 13 to September 8, with average wind speeds of more than 9.7 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at U-Tapao International Airport is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 11.9 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.2 months, from September 8 to May 13. The calmest month of the year at U-Tapao International Airport is October, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.7 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction at U-Tapao International Airport varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 4.8 months, from January 13 to June 6 and for 2.0 days, from October 11 to October 13, with a peak percentage of 86% on March 26. The wind is most often from the west for 4.2 months, from June 6 to October 11, with a peak percentage of 71% on August 13. The wind is most often from the north for 2.6 months, from October 13 to December 31, with a peak percentage of 54% on December 4.

U-Tapao International Airport 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 12 to June 12, with an average temperature above 86°F. The month of the year at U-Tapao International Airport 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 11 to February 20, with an average temperature below 83°F. The month of the year at U-Tapao International Airport with the coolest water is January, with an average temperature of 82°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is at U-Tapao International Airport 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 U-Tapao International Airport for general outdoor tourist activities is from early December to late January, with a peak score in the last week of December.

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 U-Tapao International Airport for hot-weather activities is from late November to early 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 at U-Tapao International Airport 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 19 to March 26, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.6 kWh. The brightest month of the year at U-Tapao International Airport is February, with an average of 5.9 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 5.5 months, from May 2 to October 20, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.3 kWh. The darkest month of the year at U-Tapao International Airport is September, with an average of 3.9 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of U-Tapao International Airport are 12.680 deg latitude, 101.005 deg longitude, and 39 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of U-Tapao International Airport contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 144 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 51 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (1,273 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (2,743 feet).

The area within 2 miles of U-Tapao International Airport is covered by cropland (55%) and artificial surfaces (45%), within 10 miles by cropland (54%) and water (36%), and within 50 miles by water (69%) and cropland (27%).