Punakha weather in August

In August, Punakha sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 571 mm of rain across 30.4 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in August, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of August to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Punakha's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Punakha's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
1st warmest
Overnight low
14°
11th coldest
Rainfall
571 mm
30.4 wet days
Daylight
13 hours
5:35 AM – 6:34 PM
Cloud cover
92%
11th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
3.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
out of 10

Punakha is city in Bhutan.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month.

A typical August day in Punakha reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 1°C warmer than September.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12014
22014
32014
42014
52014
62014
72014
82014
92014
102014
112014
122014
132014
142014
152014
162014
172014
182014
192014
202014
212014
222014
232014
242014
252014
262013
272013
282013
292013
302013
312013

How August really feels in Punakha

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Punakha weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -1°16220.914.110.51.1
Feb10° / 19222.711.3111.4
Mar13° / 24227.14.911.82.1
Apr16° / 20826.60.212.63.1
May19° / 10°26528.5013.33.5
Jun20° / 13°50129.5013.73.2
Jul20° / 14°73530.9013.63.1
Aug20° / 14°57130.40133.2
Sep19° / 12°38527.9012.23.4
Oct17° / 18521.7011.34.0
Nov14° / 11117.40.410.63.2
Dec10° / 11618.85.810.32.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 3% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 97%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1199
2199
3199
4199
5199
6199
7199
8199
9199
10199
11298
12298
13298
14298
15298
16298
17298
18397
19397
20397
21397
22496
23496
24496
25595
26595
27595
28694
29694
30694
31793

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Punakha gets around 571 mm of rain over 30.4 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 98% and peaks near 99% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
199
299
399
499
599
699
799
899
999
1099
1199
1299
1399
1499
1598
1698
1798
1898
1998
2098
2198
2297
2397
2497
2597
2697
2797
2897
2997
3097
3197

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the comfortable band about 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
14897
24897
34897
44897
54888
64888
74888
84888
94888
104897
114897
124897
134906
144906
154915
164915
175914
185914
196913
207903
217912
228902
239892
2410891
2511881
2612871
2712871
2813861
2914851
3015841
3116831

Wind in August

Winds average 3 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of August to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:27 AM to 5:42 AM, and sunset from 6:46 PM to 6:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:276:46
213.35:276:46
313.35:286:45
413.35:296:44
513.25:296:43
613.25:306:43
713.25:306:42
813.25:316:41
913.25:316:40
1013.15:326:40
1113.15:326:39
1213.15:336:38
1313.15:336:37
1413.05:346:36
1513.05:346:35
1613.05:356:34
1713.05:356:33
1812.95:366:32
1912.95:376:31
2012.95:376:30
2112.95:386:29
2212.85:386:28
2312.85:396:27
2412.85:396:26
2512.85:406:25
2612.75:406:24
2712.75:416:23
2812.75:416:22
2912.75:416:21
3012.65:426:20
3112.65:426:19

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 3.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.64 kWh/m² to a high of 4.96 kWh/m² in April across the year — August's 3.6 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.5Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.6Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Punakha

In seasonPeak

In August, Punakha sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Punakha's rainy season runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Punakha?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

3.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
1.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

August is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Punakha.

What to pack for Punakha in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Punakha sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear. About 30 days see rain.

rain gear

UV index in Punakha in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Punakha peaks around July 12 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 5 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighJul 12UV 15Dec 23UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5Moderate
Feb7High
Mar10Very high
Apr11Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun14Extreme
Jul15Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov6High
Dec5Moderate

Air quality in Punakha in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Punakha is worst in February — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.4× the cleanest month (September, 4 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodFeb 2116 µg/m³Sep 164 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb16Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May10Good
Jun6Good
Jul4Good
Aug4Good
Sep4Good
Oct4Good
Nov5Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Punakha?

Punakha sits at 27.6°N, 89.9°E, 1,293 m above sea level, in Bhutan. The nearest listed city is Thimphu, 27 km away.

ThimphuParoTrongsaTsirangJakarPhuentsholingMongarTrashigang

Topography around Punakha

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Punakha.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Punakha has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,103 m around an average of 1,495 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,669 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,227 m.

The land around Punakha is covered by trees (62%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, trees (88%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,103 m
16 km
2,669 m
80 km
7,227 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
August weather nearby: Thimphu 27 km · Paro 49 km · Trongsa 63 km · Tsirang 68 km · Jakar 86 km · Phuentsholing 95 km · Mongar 139 km · Trashigang 168 km

Bhutan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / D / F / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 23% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,493
2025
Happiness
5.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2018
Safe drinking water
66%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.5
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
16.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 473
Religion
Lamaistic Buddhist 75%Indian- and Nepali-influenced Hinduism 22%other 3%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Punakha (27.5914°, 89.8774°, elevation 1,293 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).