Climate and average weather in Thimphu
In Thimphu, the summers are mild, wet, and mostly cloudy and the winters are cold, snowy, and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Thimphu typically varies from -3°C to 19°C, and is rarely below -7°C or above 21°C. August is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Thimphu for warm-weather activities is from late April to mid November.
- Hottest
- Aug
- 19°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -3°
- Wettest
- Jul
- 484 mm
- Driest
- Dec
- 59 mm
- Rain / yr
- 2444 mm
- 293 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.3–13.7 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 2,320 m
- 27.5°N
- Clearest
- Jan
- 46% cloud
Thimphu is capital of Bhutan.
- Air quality
- Moderate
- PM10 42 µg/m³ · 2015
- Density
- 3,655/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1955
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Thimphu weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late April to mid November.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Thimphu, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 5.5 months, from April 29 to October 13, with daily high temperatures above 16°C. The hottest month of the year in Thimphu is August, with an average high of 19°C and low of 13°C.
The cool season lasts 2.4 months, from December 14 to February 25, with daily high temperatures below 9°C. The coldest month of the year in Thimphu is January, with an average low of -3°C and high of 7°C.
Days typically run about 9°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 11°C) in November.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Avg low (°C) | -3 | -1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 1 | -2 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | -3 |
| Feb | 8 | -1 |
| Mar | 11 | 1 |
| Apr | 15 | 4 |
| May | 17 | 8 |
| Jun | 19 | 12 |
| Jul | 19 | 13 |
| Aug | 19 | 13 |
| Sep | 18 | 11 |
| Oct | 16 | 6 |
| Nov | 12 | 1 |
| Dec | 9 | -2 |
How hot and cold Thimphu really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -4°C (around January 7), with roughly 92 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Air high (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -3 | -1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 1 | -2 |
| Air low (°C) | -3 | -1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 1 | -2 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 7 | -3 | -3 |
| Feb | 8 | 8 | -1 | -1 |
| Mar | 11 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| Apr | 15 | 15 | 4 | 4 |
| May | 17 | 17 | 8 | 8 |
| Jun | 19 | 19 | 12 | 12 |
| Jul | 19 | 19 | 13 | 13 |
| Aug | 19 | 19 | 12 | 13 |
| Sep | 18 | 18 | 11 | 11 |
| Oct | 16 | 16 | 6 | 6 |
| Nov | 12 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| Dec | 9 | 9 | -2 | -2 |
Average hourly temperature in Thimphu
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on August afternoons, near 19°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -3°C.
Thimphu weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7° / -3° | 66 | 17.2 | 16.4 | 10.5 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 8° / -2° | 94 | 21 | 16.2 | 11 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 11° / 1° | 152 | 27 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 15° / 4° | 160 | 26.1 | 1 | 12.6 | 2.8 |
| May | 17° / 8° | 236 | 28.8 | 0 | 13.3 | 3.3 |
| Jun | 19° / 12° | 378 | 29.2 | 0 | 13.7 | 3.2 |
| Jul | 19° / 13° | 484 | 30.2 | 0 | 13.6 | 3.1 |
| Aug | 19° / 13° | 350 | 28.8 | 0 | 13 | 3.3 |
| Sep | 18° / 11° | 255 | 26.2 | 0 | 12.2 | 3.5 |
| Oct | 16° / 6° | 139 | 22.8 | 0.1 | 11.3 | 3.5 |
| Nov | 12° / 1° | 72 | 18.2 | 2.4 | 10.6 | 2.7 |
| Dec | 9° / -2° | 59 | 17 | 9.8 | 10.3 | 1.6 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Thimphu gets about 2444 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 7.3 months, from around Feb 23 to Oct 2, peaking in June at about 99% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 1.
July is the wettest month by volume, with 484 mm over about 30 wet days; December is the driest, with 59 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 56 | 75 | 87 | 87 | 93 | 97 | 97 | 93 | 87 | 73 | 62 | 54 |
| Rain days | 17 | 21 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 18 | 17 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 17 |
| Feb | 75 | 21 |
| Mar | 87 | 27 |
| Apr | 87 | 26 |
| May | 93 | 29 |
| Jun | 97 | 29 |
| Jul | 97 | 30 |
| Aug | 93 | 29 |
| Sep | 87 | 26 |
| Oct | 73 | 23 |
| Nov | 62 | 18 |
| Dec | 54 | 17 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Thimphu collects about 2444 mm of rain across 293 wet days — roughly 204 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. July is the wettest month with 484 mm, while December is the driest at just 59 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 50% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 66 | 94 | 152 | 160 | 236 | 378 | 484 | 350 | 255 | 139 | 72 | 59 |
| Rain days | 17 | 21 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 18 | 17 |
| Snow days | 16 | 16 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 66 | 17 | 16 |
| Feb | 94 | 21 | 16 |
| Mar | 152 | 27 | 11 |
| Apr | 160 | 26 | 1 |
| May | 236 | 29 | 0 |
| Jun | 378 | 29 | 0 |
| Jul | 484 | 30 | 0 |
| Aug | 350 | 29 | 0 |
| Sep | 255 | 26 | 0 |
| Oct | 139 | 23 | 0 |
| Nov | 72 | 18 | 2 |
| Dec | 59 | 17 | 10 |
Snow in Thimphu
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Thimphu averages about 56 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 29 to Apr 18 — about 5.7 months.
January is snowiest, with roughly 16 days of snow and an estimated 61 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 195 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 16 | 16 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 61 | 64 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 32 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | 61 |
| Feb | 16 | 64 |
| Mar | 11 | 30 |
| Apr | 1 | 2 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 2 | 7 |
| Dec | 10 | 32 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Thimphu, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around October 3 and lasts for 6.3 months, ending around April 13. The clearest month is January, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 72% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around April 14 and lasts for 5.7 months, ending around October 2. The cloudiest month is July, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 97% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 72 | 59 | 44 | 36 | 27 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 57 | 60 | 69 |
| Cloudier (%) | 28 | 41 | 56 | 64 | 73 | 89 | 97 | 95 | 82 | 43 | 40 | 31 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 72 | 28 |
| Feb | 59 | 41 |
| Mar | 44 | 56 |
| Apr | 36 | 64 |
| May | 27 | 73 |
| Jun | 11 | 89 |
| Jul | 3 | 97 |
| Aug | 5 | 95 |
| Sep | 18 | 82 |
| Oct | 57 | 43 |
| Nov | 60 | 40 |
| Dec | 69 | 31 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 6, brings about 13 h 42 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 10 h 18 min — a swing of roughly 3 h 24 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.5 | 11.0 | 11.8 | 12.6 | 13.3 | 13.7 | 13.6 | 13.0 | 12.2 | 11.3 | 10.6 | 10.3 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:57 | 6:45 | 6:17 | 5:42 | 5:17 | 5:10 | 5:20 | 5:36 | 5:51 | 6:06 | 6:28 | 6:49 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:24 | 5:47 | 6:05 | 6:21 | 6:38 | 6:53 | 6:54 | 6:35 | 6:01 | 5:26 | 5:05 | 5:06 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.5 | 6:57 | 5:24 |
| Feb | 11.0 | 6:45 | 5:47 |
| Mar | 11.8 | 6:17 | 6:05 |
| Apr | 12.6 | 5:42 | 6:21 |
| May | 13.3 | 5:17 | 6:38 |
| Jun | 13.7 | 5:10 | 6:53 |
| Jul | 13.6 | 5:20 | 6:54 |
| Aug | 13.0 | 5:36 | 6:35 |
| Sep | 12.2 | 5:51 | 6:01 |
| Oct | 11.3 | 6:06 | 5:26 |
| Nov | 10.6 | 6:28 | 5:05 |
| Dec | 10.3 | 6:49 | 5:06 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Thimphu averages about 5 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 0 and 13 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 4.9 months, from around Oct 7 to Mar 5. The sunniest month is December, with roughly 11 sunny days (mixed).
The greyest month is June, down near 0 sunny days — about 97% fewer than the December peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 11 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 11 |
| Sky | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Mixed |
| Feb | 7 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 5 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 4 | Gloomy |
| May | 2 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 0 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 0 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 0 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 1 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 7 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 9 | Mixed |
| Dec | 11 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Thimphu, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in June, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 0% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 98 | 67 | 38 | 52 | 86 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 62 | 48 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 98 | 2 |
| Jun | 67 | 33 |
| Jul | 38 | 62 |
| Aug | 52 | 48 |
| Sep | 86 | 14 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Thimphu is steady company: average speeds sit near 3 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | calm |
| Feb | 4 | calm |
| Mar | 4 | calm |
| Apr | 3 | calm |
| May | 3 | calm |
| Jun | 3 | calm |
| Jul | 3 | calm |
| Aug | 3 | calm |
| Sep | 3 | calm |
| Oct | 3 | calm |
| Nov | 4 | calm |
| Dec | 4 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Thimphu
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Thimphu's rainy season runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Thimphu
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Thimphu throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early May, Thimphu is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Thimphu for general outdoor tourist activities is from late April to mid November, with a peak score in the second week of October.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | fair | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.8 | poor |
| Feb | 1.1 | poor |
| Mar | 1.8 | poor |
| Apr | 2.8 | poor |
| May | 3.3 | poor |
| Jun | 3.2 | poor |
| Jul | 3.1 | poor |
| Aug | 3.3 | poor |
| Sep | 3.5 | fair |
| Oct | 3.5 | fair |
| Nov | 2.7 | poor |
| Dec | 1.6 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Thimphu rarely gets warm enough to lift this score — no time of year really suits hot-weather activities here.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Thimphu, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around August (highs near 19°C), the essentials are rain gear. In the cold season around January (highs near 7°C), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.
In August, Thimphu sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 13°C. Pack rain gear. About 29 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Thimphu by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Thimphu peaks around July 12 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 5 (high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 6 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Level | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | High |
| Feb | 8 | Very high |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 12 | Extreme |
| May | 14 | Extreme |
| Jun | 15 | Extreme |
| Jul | 15 | Extreme |
| Aug | 14 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 7 | High |
| Dec | 5 | High |
Average hourly UV index in Thimphu
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 9 | 8.5 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 6 | 7 | 7.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 6 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | 0 |
| Feb | 6.5 | 3.5 |
| Mar | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 8.5 | 6 |
| May | 9 | 7 |
| Jun | 9.5 | 7.5 |
| Jul | 9 | 7 |
| Aug | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Sep | 8 | 6 |
| Oct | 7 | 5 |
| Nov | 6 | 2.5 |
| Dec | 5 | 0 |
Air quality in Thimphu by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Thimphu 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 16 | Moderate |
| Mar | 15 | Moderate |
| Apr | 15 | Moderate |
| May | 10 | Good |
| Jun | 6 | Good |
| Jul | 4 | Good |
| Aug | 4 | Good |
| Sep | 4 | Good |
| Oct | 4 | Good |
| Nov | 5 | Good |
| Dec | 6 | Good |
Growing season
The growing season in Thimphu typically lasts about 274 days, from around March 4 to December 2 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 5 to October 27.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 9 | 27 | 66 | 96 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 97 | 72 | 29 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 31 |
| Feb | 27 | 28 |
| Mar | 66 | 31 |
| Apr | 96 | 5 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 97 | 5 |
| Nov | 72 | 30 |
| Dec | 29 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Thimphu banks about 762 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 83 | 154 | 179 | 177 | 132 | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 5 |
| May | 83 |
| Jun | 154 |
| Jul | 179 |
| Aug | 177 |
| Sep | 132 |
| Oct | 31 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Thimphu receives about 4.1 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.0 and 5.4 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 3.9 months, from around Feb 21 to Jun 19. The brightest month is April, averaging about 5.4 kWh/m² (bright).
The dimmest month is December, down near 3.0 kWh/m² — roughly 44% less than the April peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 3.4 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.0 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3.9 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4.8 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.4 | Bright |
| May | 5.2 | Bright |
| Jun | 4.3 | Bright |
| Jul | 3.5 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3.8 | Moderate |
| Sep | 3.9 | Moderate |
| Oct | 4.0 | Bright |
| Nov | 3.4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3.0 | Moderate |
Where is Thimphu?
Thimphu sits at 27.5°N, 89.6°E, 2,320 m above sea level, in Bhutan. The nearest listed city is Paro, 23 km away.
What Thimphu looks like
Topography around Thimphu
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Thimphu.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Thimphu has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,129 m around an average of 2,631 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,897 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,127 m.
The land around Thimphu is covered by trees (55%) and grassland (28%) within 3 km, trees (85%) within 16 km, and trees (65%) and grassland (21%) within 80 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
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 Thimphu (27.4661°, 89.6419°, elevation 2,320 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).