Climate and average weather in Luang Namtha
In Luang Namtha, the summers are humid, hot, showery, and mostly clear and the winters are warm and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Luang Namtha typically varies from 12°C to 31°C, and is rarely below 9°C or above 35°C. April is the hottest month of the year, while December is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Luang Namtha for warm-weather activities is from early November to early March.
- Hottest
- Apr
- 31°
- Coldest
- Dec
- 13°
- Wettest
- Aug
- 325 mm
- Driest
- Feb
- 18 mm
- Rain / yr
- 1545 mm
- 176 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.7–13.3 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 0 m
- 20.9°N
- Clearest
- Feb
- 30% cloud
Luang Namtha is city in Laos.
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Luang Namtha 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 early November to early March.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Luang Namtha, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Luang Namtha stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is April, with an average high of 31°C and low of 19°C; the coolest is December, with an average low of 13°C and high of 24°C.
Days typically run about 10°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 14°C) in February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 24 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 24 |
| Avg low (°C) | 12 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 13 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 12 |
| Feb | 27 | 13 |
| Mar | 29 | 16 |
| Apr | 31 | 19 |
| May | 30 | 22 |
| Jun | 30 | 23 |
| Jul | 29 | 23 |
| Aug | 29 | 22 |
| Sep | 29 | 22 |
| Oct | 28 | 20 |
| Nov | 26 | 16 |
| Dec | 24 | 13 |
How hot and cold Luang Namtha 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 hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Luang Namtha feels like about 33°C (around June 9). About 82 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in June.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 24 | 27 | 29 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 26 | 24 |
| Air high (°C) | 24 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 24 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 12 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 13 |
| Air low (°C) | 12 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 13 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 24 | 12 | 12 |
| Feb | 27 | 27 | 13 | 13 |
| Mar | 29 | 29 | 16 | 16 |
| Apr | 32 | 31 | 19 | 19 |
| May | 33 | 30 | 22 | 22 |
| Jun | 33 | 30 | 23 | 23 |
| Jul | 32 | 29 | 23 | 23 |
| Aug | 32 | 29 | 22 | 22 |
| Sep | 31 | 29 | 21 | 22 |
| Oct | 29 | 28 | 19 | 20 |
| Nov | 26 | 26 | 16 | 16 |
| Dec | 24 | 24 | 13 | 13 |
Average hourly temperature in Luang Namtha
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 April afternoons, near 31°C, and coldest before dawn in December, near 13°C.
Luang Namtha weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24° / 12° | 31 | 4.4 | 10.9 | 8.2 |
| Feb | 27° / 13° | 18 | 3.4 | 11.3 | 7.8 |
| Mar | 29° / 16° | 47 | 6.9 | 11.9 | 6.0 |
| Apr | 31° / 19° | 100 | 12.2 | 12.5 | 4.6 |
| May | 30° / 22° | 176 | 21 | 13 | 3.6 |
| Jun | 30° / 23° | 195 | 24.3 | 13.2 | 3.1 |
| Jul | 29° / 23° | 304 | 27.7 | 13.1 | 3.1 |
| Aug | 29° / 22° | 325 | 28 | 12.7 | 3.2 |
| Sep | 29° / 22° | 193 | 22.1 | 12.1 | 3.9 |
| Oct | 28° / 20° | 86 | 14.6 | 11.5 | 5.6 |
| Nov | 26° / 16° | 42 | 6.8 | 11 | 7.4 |
| Dec | 24° / 13° | 28 | 4.7 | 10.8 | 8.1 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Luang Namtha gets about 1545 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 5.7 months, from around Apr 26 to Oct 14, peaking in August at about 93% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Dec 22.
August is the wettest month by volume, with 325 mm over about 28 wet days; February is the driest, with 18 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 14 | 13 | 22 | 41 | 67 | 81 | 89 | 90 | 74 | 47 | 23 | 15 |
| Rain days | 4 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 21 | 24 | 28 | 28 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 5 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | 4 |
| Feb | 13 | 3 |
| Mar | 22 | 7 |
| Apr | 41 | 12 |
| May | 67 | 21 |
| Jun | 81 | 24 |
| Jul | 89 | 28 |
| Aug | 90 | 28 |
| Sep | 74 | 22 |
| Oct | 47 | 15 |
| Nov | 23 | 7 |
| Dec | 15 | 5 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Luang Namtha collects about 1545 mm of rain across 176 wet days — roughly 129 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. August is the wettest month with 325 mm, while February is the driest at just 18 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 53% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 31 | 18 | 47 | 100 | 176 | 195 | 304 | 325 | 193 | 86 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain days | 4 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 21 | 24 | 28 | 28 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 5 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 4 |
| Feb | 18 | 3 |
| Mar | 47 | 7 |
| Apr | 100 | 12 |
| May | 176 | 21 |
| Jun | 195 | 24 |
| Jul | 304 | 28 |
| Aug | 325 | 28 |
| Sep | 193 | 22 |
| Oct | 86 | 15 |
| Nov | 42 | 7 |
| Dec | 28 | 5 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Luang Namtha, 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 11 and lasts for 6.9 months, ending around May 8. The clearest month is February, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 84% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around May 9 and lasts for 5.1 months, ending around October 10. The cloudiest month is July, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 94% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 76 | 84 | 80 | 69 | 35 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 26 | 52 | 68 | 72 |
| Cloudier (%) | 24 | 16 | 20 | 31 | 65 | 94 | 94 | 92 | 74 | 48 | 32 | 28 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 76 | 24 |
| Feb | 84 | 16 |
| Mar | 80 | 20 |
| Apr | 69 | 31 |
| May | 35 | 65 |
| Jun | 6 | 94 |
| Jul | 6 | 94 |
| Aug | 8 | 92 |
| Sep | 26 | 74 |
| Oct | 52 | 48 |
| Nov | 68 | 32 |
| Dec | 72 | 28 |
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 12, brings about 13 h 18 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 10 h 42 min — a swing of roughly 2 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.9 | 11.3 | 11.9 | 12.5 | 13.0 | 13.2 | 13.1 | 12.7 | 12.1 | 11.5 | 11.0 | 10.8 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:58 | 6:50 | 6:29 | 6:00 | 5:41 | 5:37 | 5:45 | 5:57 | 6:05 | 6:14 | 6:30 | 6:49 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:49 | 6:08 | 6:20 | 6:29 | 6:40 | 6:53 | 6:55 | 6:40 | 6:12 | 5:45 | 5:29 | 5:33 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.9 | 6:58 | 5:49 |
| Feb | 11.3 | 6:50 | 6:08 |
| Mar | 11.9 | 6:29 | 6:20 |
| Apr | 12.5 | 6:00 | 6:29 |
| May | 13.0 | 5:41 | 6:40 |
| Jun | 13.2 | 5:37 | 6:53 |
| Jul | 13.1 | 5:45 | 6:55 |
| Aug | 12.7 | 5:57 | 6:40 |
| Sep | 12.1 | 6:05 | 6:12 |
| Oct | 11.5 | 6:14 | 5:45 |
| Nov | 11.0 | 6:30 | 5:29 |
| Dec | 10.8 | 6:49 | 5:33 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Luang Namtha averages about 10 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 0 and 23 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.2 months, from around Oct 28 to May 4. The sunniest month is March, with roughly 20 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is August, down near 1 sunny days — about 97% fewer than the March peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 17 | 19 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 16 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Bright |
| Feb | 19 | Bright |
| Mar | 21 | Bright |
| Apr | 15 | Mixed |
| May | 6 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 1 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 1 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 1 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 3 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 8 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 14 | Mixed |
| Dec | 16 | Bright |
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 Luang Namtha, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 7.2 months, from around April 1 to November 6. The muggiest month is June, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 100% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around November 7 to March 31, and February is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 89% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 50 | 50 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 38 |
| Comfortable (%) | 40 | 39 | 36 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 32 | 39 |
| Humid (%) | 9 | 10 | 29 | 35 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 32 | 19 |
| Muggy (%) | 1 | 0 | 9 | 52 | 56 | 19 | 11 | 7 | 28 | 58 | 26 | 4 |
| Oppressive (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 80 | 89 | 93 | 68 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 40 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Feb | 50 | 39 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 27 | 36 | 29 | 9 | 0 |
| Apr | 2 | 9 | 35 | 52 | 1 |
| May | 0 | 1 | 8 | 56 | 35 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 80 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 89 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 93 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 68 |
| Oct | 2 | 5 | 18 | 58 | 18 |
| Nov | 10 | 32 | 32 | 26 | 1 |
| Dec | 38 | 39 | 19 | 4 | 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.
Across the year, average wind speed in Luang Namtha is typically calm, near 5 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 6.1 months, from around Feb 8 to Aug 11. The windiest month is June, averaging about 7 km/h (calm).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Aug 12 to Feb 7, with September the calmest month at about 4 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | calm |
| Feb | 5 | calm |
| Mar | 6 | calm |
| Apr | 6 | calm |
| May | 6 | calm |
| Jun | 7 | calm |
| Jul | 6 | calm |
| Aug | 5 | calm |
| Sep | 4 | calm |
| Oct | 4 | calm |
| Nov | 4 | calm |
| Dec | 4 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Luang Namtha
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Luang Namtha's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Luang Namtha
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Luang Namtha throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late February, Luang Namtha is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
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 Luang Namtha for general outdoor tourist activities is from early November to early March, with a peak score in the third week of January.
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) | 8.2 | 7.8 | 6.1 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 5.6 | 7.4 | 8.1 |
| Rating | ideal | ideal | good | fair | fair | poor | poor | poor | fair | good | good | ideal |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.2 | ideal |
| Feb | 7.8 | ideal |
| Mar | 6.1 | good |
| Apr | 4.6 | fair |
| May | 3.6 | fair |
| Jun | 3.1 | poor |
| Jul | 3.1 | poor |
| Aug | 3.2 | poor |
| Sep | 3.9 | fair |
| Oct | 5.6 | good |
| Nov | 7.4 | good |
| Dec | 8.1 | ideal |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Luang Namtha for hot-weather activities run from early January to mid April and again from early November to early December, with a peak score in the first week of March.
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 Luang Namtha, 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 April (highs near 31°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around December (highs near 24°C), pack light clothes.
In April, Luang Namtha sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Luang Namtha 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 Luang Namtha peaks around June 22 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 7 (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) | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Very high |
| Feb | 9 | Very high |
| Mar | 10 | Extreme |
| Apr | 9 | Very high |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 7 | High |
Average hourly UV index in Luang Namtha
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 June 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) | 6 | 7 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8 | 9 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 5.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 3 | 4.5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 3.5 | 2 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | 3 |
| Feb | 7 | 4.5 |
| Mar | 7.5 | 5 |
| Apr | 7.5 | 5 |
| May | 8 | 6 |
| Jun | 9 | 7 |
| Jul | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Aug | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Sep | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 7 | 5 |
| Nov | 6.5 | 3.5 |
| Dec | 5.5 | 2 |
Air quality in Luang Namtha 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 Luang Namtha is worst in April — around 445 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 55.0× the cleanest month (November, 8 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) | 13 | 30 | 249 | 445 | 64 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Very unhealthy | Very unhealthy | Unhealthy | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Moderate |
| Feb | 30 | Moderate |
| Mar | 249 | Very unhealthy |
| Apr | 445 | Very unhealthy |
| May | 64 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 11 | Good |
| Jul | 9 | Good |
| Aug | 9 | Good |
| Sep | 8 | Good |
| Oct | 8 | Good |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 10 | Good |
Growing season
Luang Namtha is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
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. Luang Namtha banks about 4,775 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around June.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 253 | 280 | 393 | 449 | 494 | 487 | 485 | 477 | 452 | 422 | 330 | 255 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 253 |
| Feb | 280 |
| Mar | 393 |
| Apr | 449 |
| May | 494 |
| Jun | 487 |
| Jul | 485 |
| Aug | 477 |
| Sep | 452 |
| Oct | 422 |
| Nov | 330 |
| Dec | 255 |
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.
Luang Namtha receives about 4.6 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.7 and 6.0 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 4.5 months, from around Feb 6 to Jun 22. The brightest month is April, averaging about 6.0 kWh/m² (bright).
The dimmest month is December, down near 3.8 kWh/m² — roughly 37% less than the April peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 6.0 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.7 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.0 | Bright |
| Feb | 5.0 | Bright |
| Mar | 5.7 | Bright |
| Apr | 6.0 | Intense |
| May | 5.4 | Bright |
| Jun | 4.8 | Bright |
| Jul | 4.1 | Bright |
| Aug | 4.1 | Bright |
| Sep | 4.4 | Bright |
| Oct | 4.3 | Bright |
| Nov | 4.0 | Bright |
| Dec | 3.7 | Moderate |
Where is Luang Namtha?
Luang Namtha sits at 20.9°N, 101.4°E, 0 m above sea level, in Laos. The nearest listed city is Muang Sing, 38 km away.
Topography around Luang Namtha
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Luang Namtha.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Luang Namtha has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 m around an average of 557 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 967 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,643 m.
The land around Luang Namtha is covered by cropland (53%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, trees (90%) within 16 km, and trees (90%) within 80 km.
Laos travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type A / B / C / E / F
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 23% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $2,325
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.5 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 35%
- of population, 2024
- Road deaths
- 17.9
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Lower middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 461
- 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 Luang Namtha (20.9486°, 101.4019°, elevation 0 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).