Chiang Mai in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Chiang Mai sees average daytime highs around 30°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 19 mm of rain over about 3 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 29°C in early December to 34°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels comfortable.
Winter is Chiang Mai's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Chiang Mai's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 30°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 16°C
- Rainfall
- 19 mm
- 3 wet days
- Avg wind
- 4 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.3
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Chiang Mai in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 29°C in early December to 34°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Chiang Mai reaches about 30°C and drops to 16°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Chiang Mai
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 19 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Chiang Mai weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30° / 15° | 7 | 1.3 | 11 | 6.7 |
| Feb | 33° / 17° | 3 | 0.7 | 11.4 | 5.0 |
| Mar | 35° / 20° | 12 | 2.1 | 11.9 | 3.1 |
| Apr | 37° / 24° | 26 | 4.4 | 12.4 | 1.9 |
| May | 35° / 25° | 99 | 13.2 | 12.9 | 2.3 |
| Jun | 33° / 25° | 120 | 18.3 | 13.1 | 2.5 |
| Jul | 32° / 25° | 175 | 21.9 | 13 | 2.6 |
| Aug | 31° / 25° | 236 | 25.1 | 12.6 | 2.7 |
| Sep | 31° / 24° | 227 | 23.4 | 12.1 | 2.8 |
| Oct | 31° / 22° | 114 | 15.7 | 11.6 | 4.0 |
| Nov | 30° / 19° | 21 | 4 | 11.1 | 5.8 |
| Dec | 29° / 16° | 9 | 1.2 | 10.9 | 7.2 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Chiang Mai gets around 19 mm of rain over 3 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 4 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 hours in early December to 11 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.9 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Chiang Mai
None of Chiang Mai's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Chiang Mai's monsoon runs June–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Chiang Mai?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Chiang Mai for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Chiang Mai in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Chiang Mai sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.
UV index in Chiang Mai in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chiang Mai peaks around August 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 7 (very 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 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Very high |
| Feb | 9 | Very high |
| Mar | 9 | Very high |
| Apr | 10 | Very high |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 14 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Extreme |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 7 | Very high |
Air quality in Chiang Mai in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Chiang Mai is worst in March — around 69 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.3× the cleanest month (July, 16 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Chiang Mai's WHO annual average of 33 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 37 | 46 | 69 | 60 | 28 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 32 |
| Level | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | Poor |
| Feb | 46 | Poor |
| Mar | 69 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 60 | Unhealthy |
| May | 28 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 16 | Moderate |
| Aug | 17 | Moderate |
| Sep | 21 | Moderate |
| Oct | 25 | Moderate |
| Nov | 28 | Moderate |
| Dec | 32 | Moderate |
Where is Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai sits at 18.8°N, 99.0°E, 313 m above sea level, in Thailand. The nearest listed city is Hang Dong, 13 km away.
Topography around Chiang Mai
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Chiang Mai.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Chiang Mai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 45 m around an average of 313 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,399 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,341 m.
The land around Chiang Mai is covered by artificial surfaces (72%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 16 km, and trees (84%) within 80 km.
Thailand travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type A / B / C
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 31% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $8,057
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.3 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Homicide rate
- 4.8
- per 100k, 2011
- Road deaths
- 32.2
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Very low
- EF EPI 402
- 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 Chiang Mai (18.7904°, 98.9847°, elevation 313 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.