Chiang Rai weather in January

In January, Chiang Rai sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 22 mm of rain across 3 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 29°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Chiang Rai's 3rd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chiang Rai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
11th warmest
Overnight low
14°
1st coldest
Rainfall
22 mm
3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
7:02 AM – 5:57 PM
Cloud cover
33%
3rd clearest
Wind
4 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.7
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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 29°C by the end.

A typical January day in Chiang Rai reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 3°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12614
22714
32714
42714
52714
62714
72714
82714
92714
102714
112714
122714
132714
142714
152814
162814
172814
182814
192814
202814
212814
222814
232814
242814
252814
262814
272814
282914
292914
302914
312914

How January really feels in Chiang Rai

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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

January 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 January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 11th-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 19%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27723
37723
47525
57525
67624
77624
87624
97525
107624
117624
127723
137921
147921
158119
168218
178218
188416
198416
208515
218515
228614
238614
248614
258614
268614
278614
288614
298614
308515
318416

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Chiang Rai gets around 22 mm of rain over 3 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 10% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
212
312
412
512
612
711
811
911
1011
1110
1210
1310
149
159
168
178
188
198
208
218
228
238
248
258
269
279
289
299
309
319

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the comfortable band about 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
118433090
217433190
316443190
416443191
516443191
616443191
716443191
816443091
917443081
1018443081
1118443071
1219443071
1320442961
1421442961
1522432950
1623432950
1723432950
1824432950
1924422940
2024422940
2124422940
2224413050
2324413050
2424413050
2524413050
2624413050
2724413050
2824413050
2924413050
3024413050
3125412950

Wind in January

Winds average 4 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 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
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:59 AM to 7:01 AM, and sunset from 5:48 PM to 6:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.86:595:48
210.87:005:49
310.87:005:49
410.87:005:50
510.87:015:51
610.87:015:51
710.87:015:52
810.97:015:52
910.97:015:53
1010.97:025:54
1110.97:025:54
1210.97:025:55
1310.97:025:56
1410.97:025:56
1510.97:025:57
1610.97:025:57
1710.97:025:58
1810.97:035:59
1910.97:035:59
2011.07:036:00
2111.07:036:01
2211.07:026:01
2311.07:026:02
2411.07:026:03
2511.07:026:03
2611.07:026:04
2711.07:026:04
2811.17:026:05
2911.17:026:06
3011.17:016:06
3111.17:016:07

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.51 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 — January's 4.51 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Chiang Rai

In seasonPeak

None of Chiang Rai's seasonal hazards are active in January. 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 January a good time to visit Chiang Rai?

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

7.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
8.3
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January 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 January

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

In January, Chiang Rai sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 14°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Chiang Rai in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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 January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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