Punakha in Summer

In summer (June, July and August), Punakha sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 1807 mm of rain over about 91 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 20°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Summer is Punakha's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Punakha's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
20°C
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
14°C
Rainfall
1807 mm
91 wet days
Avg wind
3 km/h
Travel score
3.2
2nd-best season
Months
Jun · Jul · Aug

Temperature in Punakha in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 20°C.

A typical summer day in Punakha reaches about 20°C and drops to 14°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is August, the coolest June.

10°15°20°25°JunJulAug

How summer really feels in Punakha

Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

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

summer 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 the three summer months (June, July and August) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%JunJulAug

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Punakha gets around 1807 mm of rain over 91 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%80%100%JunJulAug

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%JunJulAug

Wind in Summer

Winds average 3 km/h across summer.

0246810JunJulAug

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min in early June to 12 h 36 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJunJulAug

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 3.7 kWh/m².

024JunJulAug
Planning a trip in summer

Hazard calendar for Punakha

In seasonPeak

In summer, Punakha overlaps 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 summer a good time to visit Punakha?

Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

3.2
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
1.6
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

summer is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Punakha.

What to pack for Punakha in Summer

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

In summer, Punakha sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear. About 91 days see rain.

rain gear

UV index in Punakha in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 14 (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 Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where summer 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
Summer 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.