Kanchanaburi weather in May

In May, Kanchanaburi sees average daytime highs of 36°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 112 mm of rain across 19.9 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 37°C in the first days to 35°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of May to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kanchanaburi's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kanchanaburi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
36°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
27°
12th coldest
Rainfall
112 mm
19.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
5:59 AM – 6:37 PM
Cloud cover
79%
8th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.6
out of 10

Kanchanaburi is town in Kanchanaburi province, Thailand.

Air quality
High
PM2.5 27 µg/m³ · 2019

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 37°C in the first days to 35°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kanchanaburi reaches about 36°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°C and 39°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

25°30°35°40°45°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13727
23727
33727
43727
53727
63627
73627
83627
93627
103627
113627
123627
133627
143627
153627
163527
173527
183527
193527
203527
213527
223527
233527
243527
253527
263527
273527
283527
293527
303527
313527

How May really feels in Kanchanaburi

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 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
31
31 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Kanchanaburi weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 21°132.111.34.7
Feb35° / 22°112.411.53.4
Mar36° / 25°336.311.92.0
Apr37° / 26°7112.612.31.3
May36° / 27°11219.912.61.6
Jun34° / 26°10919.112.82.1
Jul33° / 26°14020.912.72.4
Aug33° / 26°13721.112.52.6
Sep32° / 25°18222.812.12.5
Oct32° / 25°16419.711.73.2
Nov32° / 23°37611.44.4
Dec31° / 22°81.711.25.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
33961
43763
53664
63367
73367
83169
92971
102773
112674
122476
132377
142179
152080
161882
171783
181684
191585
201486
211387
221288
231288
241189
251090
261090
271090
281090
291090
30892
31892

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kanchanaburi gets around 112 mm of rain over 19.9 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 64% and peaks near 69% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
154
255
355
456
556
657
758
859
960
1061
1163
1264
1364
1465
1566
1666
1767
1867
1967
2068
2168
2268
2368
2468
2568
2668
2768
2869
2969
3069
3169

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
176231
266232
366034
456035
555936
655837
745838
845739
935839
1035740
1125840
1225741
1325741
1415742
1515742
1615742
1715742
1805842
1905842
2005941
2105941
2205941
2306040
2406040
2506040
2606139
2706139
2806238
2906238
3006238
3106238

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of May to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:04 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.56:046:34
212.56:046:34
312.56:036:34
412.56:036:34
512.56:026:35
612.56:026:35
712.66:026:35
812.66:016:35
912.66:016:36
1012.66:006:36
1112.66:006:36
1212.66:006:36
1312.66:006:37
1412.65:596:37
1512.65:596:37
1612.65:596:37
1712.75:586:38
1812.75:586:38
1912.75:586:38
2012.75:586:39
2112.75:586:39
2212.75:576:39
2312.75:576:40
2412.75:576:40
2512.75:576:40
2612.75:576:40
2712.75:576:41
2812.75:576:41
2912.75:576:41
3012.85:566:42
3112.85:566:42

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.49 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.32 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 5.49 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kanchanaburi

In seasonPeak

In May, Kanchanaburi sits inside its cyclone and monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Kanchanaburi sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

Kanchanaburi's monsoon runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Kanchanaburi?

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

1.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kanchanaburi.

What to pack for Kanchanaburi in May

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

In May, Kanchanaburi sees daytime highs around 36°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Kanchanaburi in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kanchanaburi peaks around August 16 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highAug 16UV 14Dec 15UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar13Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Kanchanaburi in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Kanchanaburi is worst in March — around 44 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.7× the cleanest month (June, 16 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Kanchanaburi's WHO annual average of 27 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateMar 1344 µg/m³Jun 2217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan35Moderate
Feb41Poor
Mar44Poor
Apr34Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct26Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec26Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kanchanaburi?

Kanchanaburi sits at 14.0°N, 99.5°E, 33 m above sea level, in Thailand. The nearest listed city is Tha Muang, 11 km away.

Topography around Kanchanaburi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kanchanaburi has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 337 m around an average of 51 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 483 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,266 m.

The land around Kanchanaburi is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 3 km, trees (45%) and cropland (35%) within 16 km, and trees (53%) and cropland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
337 m
16 km
483 m
80 km
1,266 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Tha Muang 11 km · Tha Maka 26 km · Bo Phloi 36 km · Ban Pong 41 km · Chom Bueng 43 km · Photharam 48 km · Ban I Chang 50 km · Bang Phae 54 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 Kanchanaburi (14.0041°, 99.5483°, elevation 33 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).