Khao Lak weather in January

In January, Khao Lak sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 67 mm of rain across 9.9 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Khao Lak's 3rd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Khao Lak's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
4th warmest
Overnight low
24°
1st coldest
Rainfall
67 mm
9.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:50 AM – 6:23 PM
Cloud cover
63%
3rd clearest
Wind
10 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Khao Lak is human settlement in Phang Nga Province, Thailand.

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Khao Lak reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12924
22924
32924
42924
52924
62924
72924
82924
92924
102924
112924
122924
132924
142924
152924
162924
172924
182924
192924
202924
212924
222924
232924
243024
253024
263024
273024
283024
293024
303024
313024

How January really feels in Khao Lak

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 21 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
21
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Khao Lak weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 4th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 24°679.911.65.3
Feb30° / 25°427.711.75.2
Mar30° / 25°11615.311.94.4
Apr30° / 26°16821.812.23.6
May29° / 26°30226.812.43.2
Jun29° / 26°30124.812.53.4
Jul28° / 26°28825.412.53.5
Aug28° / 25°32225.712.33.6
Sep28° / 25°36326.312.13.6
Oct28° / 25°35528.811.83.3
Nov29° / 25°20823.111.63.7
Dec29° / 25°9013.111.55.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
24060
34060
44060
54159
64159
74159
84159
94159
104159
114159
124159
134258
144258
154159
164258
174357
184258
194456
204357
214357
224555
234555
244555
254654
264753
274753
284852
294951
305050
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Khao Lak gets around 67 mm of rain over 9.9 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 32% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
334
434
534
633
733
833
933
1032
1132
1232
1332
1432
1532
1631
1731
1831
1931
2031
2131
2231
2332
2432
2532
2631
2731
2831
2930
3030
3129

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 76% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 98% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1220780
2219790
3219790
4218800
5218800
6217810
7217810
8217810
9217801
10217801
11218791
12218791
13218791
14219781
15219781
16220771
17221761
18221761
19222751
20223741
21224731
22125731
23126721
24126730
25126730
26127720
27227710
28227710
29227710
30228700
31228700

Wind in January

Winds average 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:45 AM to 6:52 AM, and sunset from 6:15 PM to 6:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:456:15
211.56:456:16
311.56:466:16
411.56:466:17
511.56:476:17
611.56:476:18
711.56:476:18
811.56:486:19
911.56:486:19
1011.56:486:20
1111.56:496:20
1211.56:496:21
1311.56:496:21
1411.56:496:22
1511.56:506:22
1611.56:506:23
1711.66:506:23
1811.66:506:24
1911.66:516:24
2011.66:516:25
2111.66:516:25
2211.66:516:25
2311.66:516:26
2411.66:516:26
2511.66:516:27
2611.66:516:27
2711.66:526:28
2811.66:526:28
2911.66:526:28
3011.66:526:29
3111.66:526:29

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.35 kWh/m² to a high of 6.1 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.3 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Khao Lak

In seasonPeak

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

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

Khao Lak's rainy season runs April–November, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Khao Lak?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Khao Lak for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Khao Lak in January

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

In January, Khao Lak sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Khao Lak in January

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in January near 28°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Khao Lak in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Khao Lak peaks around August 21 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeAug 21UV 13Dec 12UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Khao Lak 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 Khao Lak is worst in March — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodMar 2216 µg/m³Nov 1211 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May12Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep12Good
Oct11Good
Nov11Good
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Khao Lak?

Khao Lak sits at 8.6°N, 98.2°E, 0 m above sea level, in Thailand. The nearest listed city is Ban Kamala, 74 km away.

Topography around Khao Lak

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Khao Lak has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 388 m around an average of 45 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 686 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,077 m.

The land around Khao Lak is covered by water (50%) and trees (45%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (46%) within 16 km, and water (59%) and trees (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
388 m
16 km
686 m
80 km
1,077 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Ban Kamala 74 km · Kathu 78 km · Ban Ratsada 80 km · Wichit 82 km · Phuket 82 km · Ban Talat Nua 83 km · Ban Talat Yai 83 km · Ban Ko Sire 83 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 Khao Lak (8.615°, 98.2399°, elevation 0 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). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).