Chiang Rai weather in December

In December, Chiang Rai sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 27 mm of rain across 3.7 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of December to 10 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Chiang Rai's 4th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chiang Rai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
12th warmest
Overnight low
15°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
27 mm
3.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:53 AM – 5:41 PM
Cloud cover
36%
4th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.0
out of 10

Chiang Rai is city in Chiang Rai province, Thailand.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 37 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,294/km²
people per km²
Founded
1936

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Chiang Rai reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12717
22717
32717
42716
52716
62716
72716
82716
92716
102716
112716
122616
132615
142615
152615
162615
172615
182615
192615
202615
212614
222614
232614
242614
252614
262614
272614
282614
292614
302614
312614

How December really feels in Chiang Rai

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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

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

Chiang Rai weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 14°22310.97.7
Feb31° / 15°132.411.35.9
Mar33° / 18°425.111.94.1
Apr34° / 21°13211.812.43.1
May32° / 23°29222.812.92.8
Jun31° / 24°29726.213.22.5
Jul31° / 24°39828.413.12.6
Aug30° / 24°38328.812.72.6
Sep30° / 23°29525.112.13.0
Oct30° / 22°13917.811.54.4
Nov28° / 18°496.711.16.7
Dec26° / 15°273.710.88.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 22%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27525
37525
47525
57525
67525
77525
87525
97525
107525
117525
127624
137723
147723
157822
167921
178020
188020
198119
208218
218218
228218
238317
248218
258218
268218
278119
288119
297921
307921
317822

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Chiang Rai gets around 27 mm of rain over 3.7 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 12% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
116
216
316
416
515
615
715
814
914
1013
1113
1212
1311
1411
1510
1610
179
189
199
209
219
229
239
2410
2510
2610
2710
2811
2911
3011
3112

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 33% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 19% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
181740305
281839295
391939295
492038285
592138284
6102237274
7102337274
8112436263
9112536253
10122536243
11132636232
12142735222
13162735212
14172834192
15192834182
16202933171
17212933161
18223032141
19233132131
20243231121
21253331110
22253430110
23253530100
2425362990
2525372990
2624382990
2723392980
2822402980
2921412980
3020423080
3119423090

Wind in December

Winds average 4 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of December to 10 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:44 AM to 6:59 AM, and sunset from 5:37 PM to 5:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:445:37
210.96:455:37
310.96:455:37
410.96:465:37
510.96:465:38
610.86:475:38
710.86:485:38
810.86:485:38
910.86:495:39
1010.86:495:39
1110.86:505:39
1210.86:515:39
1310.86:515:40
1410.86:525:40
1510.86:525:41
1610.86:535:41
1710.86:535:41
1810.86:545:42
1910.86:545:42
2010.86:555:43
2110.86:555:43
2210.86:565:44
2310.86:565:44
2410.86:575:44
2510.86:575:45
2610.86:585:45
2710.86:585:46
2810.86:585:47
2910.86:595:47
3010.86:595:48
3110.86:595:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.1 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 4.13 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.1Bright
34.1Bright
44.1Bright
54.0Bright
64.0Bright
74.0Bright
84.0Bright
94.0Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.1Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.2Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Chiang Rai

In seasonPeak

None of Chiang Rai's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Chiang Rai's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Chiang Rai?

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

8.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.8
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Chiang Rai for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Chiang Rai in December

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

In December, Chiang Rai sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 4 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Chiang Rai in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 7 — 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 Rai peaks around July 17 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highJul 17UV 13Dec 21UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr10Very high
May11Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Chiang Rai in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Chiang Rai is worst in April — around 142 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 12.0× the cleanest month (July, 12 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Chiang Rai's WHO annual average of 37 µg/m³.

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateUnhealthyModerateGoodModerateApr 11137 µg/m³Jul 2312 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan21Moderate
Feb36Poor
Mar117Unhealthy
Apr142Unhealthy
May34Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul12Good
Aug12Good
Sep12Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Chiang Rai?

Chiang Rai sits at 19.9°N, 99.8°E, 401 m above sea level, in Thailand. The nearest listed city is Mae Chan, 27 km away.

San Kamphaeng

Topography around Chiang Rai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chiang Rai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 66 m around an average of 398 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 815 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,937 m.

The land around Chiang Rai is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and trees (36%) within 3 km, trees (52%) and cropland (33%) within 16 km, and trees (70%) and cropland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
66 m
16 km
815 m
80 km
1,937 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Mae Chan 27 km · Ban Khoan 56 km · Mae Sai 59 km · Tachilek 60 km · Ban Houakhoua 75 km · Phayao 80 km · Dok Kham Tai 85 km · San Kamphaeng 149 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
Buddhist 93%Muslim 5%Christian 1%other 1%

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 Rai (19.9086°, 99.8325°, elevation 401 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).