Mae Sai weather in January

In January, Mae Sai sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 25 mm of rain across 3.4 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 26°C in the first days to 28°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% 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 Mae Sai's 3rd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mae Sai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
11th warmest
Overnight low
14°
1st coldest
Rainfall
25 mm
3.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
7:03 AM – 5:56 PM
Cloud cover
31%
3rd clearest
Wind
4 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.9
out of 10

Mae Sai is subdistrict municipality in Chiang Rai province, Thailand.

Density
5,365/km²
people per km²

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 26°C in the first days to 28°C by the end.

A typical January day in Mae Sai reaches about 27°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
22614
32614
42614
52714
62714
72714
82714
92714
102714
112714
122714
132714
142714
152714
162713
172713
182713
192713
202813
212813
222813
232813
242813
252813
262813
272813
282813
292813
302813
312813

How January really feels in Mae Sai

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.

Mae Sai 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
Jan27° / 14°253.410.97.9
Feb30° / 14°152.411.36.1
Mar33° / 17°395.111.94.2
Apr34° / 21°11210.712.53.2
May33° / 23°27721.3132.8
Jun32° / 24°34926.713.22.4
Jul31° / 24°45528.513.12.5
Aug31° / 24°42428.712.72.6
Sep31° / 23°28724.212.13.0
Oct30° / 22°13416.711.54.3
Nov29° / 18°476.5116.5
Dec26° / 15°314.410.87.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% 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 17%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18020
28020
38020
47921
57921
67921
77822
87921
97921
107921
118020
128020
138119
148218
158317
168317
178515
188614
198614
208713
218713
228812
238812
248812
258812
268812
278812
288713
298713
308713
318713

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mae Sai gets around 25 mm of rain over 3.4 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 11% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
114
214
314
414
514
614
714
813
913
1013
1112
1212
1311
1411
1510
1610
179
189
199
209
219
229
239
249
259
2610
2710
2810
2910
3011
3111

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 42% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11448299
214482910
313482910
413482910
512473010
613473010
713463010
813463110
91445319
101545329
111544328
121644328
131743337
141842336
152042335
162141335
172141344
182240344
192340343
202340343
212339343
222339353
232338353
242338353
252338364
262338364
272338364
282338364
292338354
302338354
312338344

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 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 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 7:00 AM to 7:02 AM, and sunset from 5:47 PM to 6:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.87:005:47
210.87:015:48
310.87:015:48
410.87:015:49
510.87:015:49
610.87:025:50
710.87:025:51
810.87:025:51
910.87:025:52
1010.87:025:53
1110.87:035:53
1210.97:035:54
1310.97:035:54
1410.97:035:55
1510.97:035:56
1610.97:035:56
1710.97:035:57
1810.97:035:58
1910.97:035:58
2010.97:035:59
2110.97:036:00
2211.07:036:00
2311.07:036:01
2411.07:036:01
2511.07:036:02
2611.07:036:03
2711.07:036:03
2811.07:026:04
2911.07:026:05
3011.17:026:05
3111.17:026:06

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.41 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.91 kWh/m² to a high of 6.25 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 4.41 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.1Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.2Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.4Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mae Sai

In seasonPeak

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

Mae Sai'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 Mae Sai?

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

7.9
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.2
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Mae Sai for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Mae Sai in January

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

In January, Mae Sai sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 14°C. Pack light clothes. About 3 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Mae Sai 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 Mae Sai peaks around July 19 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highHighJul 19UV 13Dec 20UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7High
Feb9Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr10Very high
May11Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Mae Sai 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 Mae Sai is worst in April — around 156 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 12.0× the cleanest month (July, 13 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateUnhealthyModerateApr 11150 µg/m³Jul 2313 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan23Moderate
Feb40Poor
Mar128Unhealthy
Apr156Very unhealthy
May37Poor
Jun15Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec19Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mae Sai?

Mae Sai sits at 20.4°N, 99.9°E, 437 m above sea level, in Thailand. The nearest listed city is Tachilek, 2.0 km away.

Möng YawngPhayao

Topography around Mae Sai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mae Sai has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 398 m around an average of 464 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,235 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,977 m.

The land around Mae Sai is covered by trees (54%) and artificial surfaces (33%) within 3 km, trees (61%) and cropland (27%) within 16 km, and trees (81%) within 80 km.

3 km
398 m
16 km
1,235 m
80 km
1,977 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Tachilek 2.0 km · Ban Khoan 24 km · Mae Chan 32 km · Chiang Rai 59 km · Ban Houakhoua 64 km · Möng Yawng 97 km · Kengtung 133 km · Phayao 138 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 Mae Sai (20.4335°, 99.8762°, elevation 437 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).