About Thailand
Thailand can best be described as tropical and humid for
the majority of the country during most of the year. The
area of Thailand north of Bangkok has a climate determined
by three seasons whilst the southern peninsular region of Thailand has only two.
In northern Thailand the seasons are clearly defined.
Between November and May the weather is mostly dry,
however this is broken up into the periods November to
February and March to May. The later of these two
periods has the higher relative temperatures as although
the northeast monsoon does not directly effect the
northern area of Thailand, it does cause cooling
breezes from November to February.
The other northern season is from May to November and
is dominated by the southwest monsoon, during which
time rainfall in the north is at its heaviest.
The southern region of Thailand really has only two seasons --
the wet and the dry. These seasons do not run at the same
time on both the east and west side of the peninsular. On
the west coast the southwest monsoon brings rain and
often heavy storms from April through to October, whilst
on the east coast the most rain falls between September
and December.
Overall the southern parts of Thailand get by far the most
rain with around 2,400 millimetres every year, compared
with the central and northern regions of Thailand, both
of which get around 1,400 millimetres.
The best time to visit Thailand is from
November to February when the northeast monsoon is
blowing cool, dry air which serves as a respite from the heat.
During this cool season, the temperature ranges from 18ºC
to 32ºC in Bangkok, while in northern and northeast Thailand,
temperatures can get quite cool with morning temperatures as
low as 8º C to 12º C with the occasional 20º C day. Nights can
be particularly chilly and at high altitudes the temperatures can
and do drop below freezing.
The summer period, or hot and dry season, is from March to June.
At this time temperatures in Bangkok average around 34º C, but
can often reach 40º C with the humidity levels of 75%.
Try and avoid April, unless you plan to be permanently submerged
in the ocean, because this is the hottest month across the country.
From July to October is the monsoonal season when most of
Thailand's annual rainfall is accumulated. The humidity averages
just under 90%, with temperatures averaging around 29º C in Bangkok.
The monsoons finish when the wind direction changes, bringing dry
weather from the northeast. At best this season can be described as
unpredictable and not the constant downpour of rain like you would
expect. The middle months of this season may hold particularly heavy
ains for the north of the country.