Chiang Rai in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Chiang Rai sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 63 mm of rain over about 9 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 27°C in early December to 32°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels comfortable.
Winter is Chiang Rai's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Chiang Rai's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 15°C
- Rainfall
- 63 mm
- 9 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.2
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Chiang Rai in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 27°C in early December to 32°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Chiang Rai reaches about 28°C and drops to 15°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Chiang Rai
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 3 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 Rai 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 | 28° / 14° | 22 | 3 | 10.9 | 7.7 |
| Feb | 31° / 15° | 13 | 2.4 | 11.3 | 5.9 |
| Mar | 33° / 18° | 42 | 5.1 | 11.9 | 4.1 |
| Apr | 34° / 21° | 132 | 11.8 | 12.4 | 3.1 |
| May | 32° / 23° | 292 | 22.8 | 12.9 | 2.8 |
| Jun | 31° / 24° | 297 | 26.2 | 13.2 | 2.5 |
| Jul | 31° / 24° | 398 | 28.4 | 13.1 | 2.6 |
| Aug | 30° / 24° | 383 | 28.8 | 12.7 | 2.6 |
| Sep | 30° / 23° | 295 | 25.1 | 12.1 | 3.0 |
| Oct | 30° / 22° | 139 | 17.8 | 11.5 | 4.4 |
| Nov | 28° / 18° | 49 | 6.7 | 11.1 | 6.7 |
| Dec | 26° / 15° | 27 | 3.7 | 10.8 | 8.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Chiang Rai gets around 63 mm of rain over 9 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 5 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min 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 4.7 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Chiang Rai
None of Chiang Rai's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Chiang Rai's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Chiang Rai?
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 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 Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Chiang Rai sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 15°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 9 days see rain.
UV index in Chiang Rai 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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Very high | Very high | Very high | 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 | 9 | Very high |
| Apr | 10 | 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 |
Air quality in Chiang Rai 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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 21 | 36 | 117 | 142 | 34 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 17 |
| Level | Moderate | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | Moderate |
| Feb | 36 | Poor |
| Mar | 117 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 142 | Unhealthy |
| May | 34 | Moderate |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 12 | Good |
| Aug | 12 | Good |
| Sep | 12 | Moderate |
| Oct | 13 | Moderate |
| Nov | 14 | Moderate |
| Dec | 17 | Moderate |
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.
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.
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 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.