Phayao weather in December

In December, Phayao sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 16 mm of rain across 2.4 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of December to 10 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Phayao's 4th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Phayao's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
12th warmest
Overnight low
17°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
16 mm
2.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:51 AM – 5:42 PM
Cloud cover
35%
4th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.6
out of 10

Phayao is town in Phayao province, Thailand.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 18 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1938

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Phayao reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12919
22918
32918
42918
52918
62818
72818
82818
92818
102818
112817
122817
132817
142817
152817
162817
172817
182817
192817
202816
212816
222816
232816
242816
252816
262816
272816
282816
292816
302816
312816

How December really feels in Phayao

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Phayao weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 16°152.5116.8
Feb32° / 17°61.211.35.2
Mar35° / 20°283.911.93.4
Apr35° / 24°719.512.42.4
May34° / 25°16619.712.92.4
Jun33° / 25°14421.513.12.4
Jul32° / 25°22124.8132.5
Aug31° / 25°25326.412.72.6
Sep32° / 24°2082312.12.8
Oct31° / 23°9814.711.64.1
Nov30° / 20°31511.16.0
Dec28° / 17°162.410.97.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27624
37624
47624
57624
67525
77525
87525
97624
107723
117723
127723
137822
147921
157921
168020
178020
188218
198218
208218
218218
228218
238218
248218
258218
268218
278020
288020
297921
307822
317822

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Phayao gets around 16 mm of rain over 2.4 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 8% and peaks near 11% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
111
211
311
411
511
610
710
810
99
109
118
128
137
147
156
166
176
185
195
205
215
226
236
246
256
267
277
288
298
309
319

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 35% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 30% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1414294112
2514304011
3515303911
4516313811
5616313710
6617323610
761733359
861833349
971834338
1071935327
1182035316
1282136296
1392136285
14102236274
15112336264
16122436243
17132536232
18142637222
19142736212
20152836201
21152936191
22153036181
23153136171
24153237160
25153337150
26143337150
27133438140
28123439140
29113540140
30103540141
3193641141

Wind in December

Winds average 4 km/h in December.

Across December, 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 December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of December to 10 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:42 AM to 6:58 AM, and sunset from 5:38 PM to 5:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:425:38
210.96:435:38
310.96:445:38
410.96:445:39
510.96:455:39
610.96:455:39
710.96:465:39
810.96:475:39
910.96:475:40
1010.96:485:40
1110.96:485:40
1210.96:495:41
1310.96:505:41
1410.96:505:41
1510.96:515:42
1610.86:515:42
1710.86:525:43
1810.86:525:43
1910.86:535:43
2010.86:535:44
2110.86:545:44
2210.86:545:45
2310.86:555:45
2410.86:555:46
2510.86:565:46
2610.86:565:47
2710.86:565:47
2810.86:575:48
2910.96:575:48
3010.96:585:49
3110.96:585:49

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.08 kWh/m² to a high of 6.36 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 4.24 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.2Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Phayao

In seasonPeak

In December, Phayao sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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

Phayao's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Phayao?

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

7.6
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Phayao in December

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

In December, Phayao sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes.

light clothes

UV index in Phayao in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December 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 Phayao peaks around August 12 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 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 highAug 12UV 13Dec 18UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr10Very high
May11Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Phayao in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Phayao is worst in March — around 51 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.9× the cleanest month (July, 9 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Phayao's WHO annual average of 18 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateGoodModerateMar 2049 µg/m³Jul 199 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb23Moderate
Mar51Poor
Apr39Poor
May16Moderate
Jun9Good
Jul9Good
Aug9Good
Sep9Good
Oct10Good
Nov11Good
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Phayao?

Phayao sits at 19.2°N, 99.9°E, 409 m above sea level, in Thailand. The nearest listed city is Dok Kham Tai, 12 km away.

San KamphaengChiang MaiNanMae ChanLampangLamphun

Topography around Phayao

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Phayao has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 61 m around an average of 402 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,289 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,796 m.

The land around Phayao is covered by trees (33%) and water (30%) within 3 km, cropland (45%) and trees (44%) within 16 km, and trees (77%) within 80 km.

3 km
61 m
16 km
1,289 m
80 km
1,796 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Dok Kham Tai 12 km · Chiang Rai 80 km · San Kamphaeng 94 km · Chiang Mai 104 km · Nan 105 km · Mae Chan 106 km · Lampang 108 km · Lamphun 114 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 Phayao (19.192°, 99.8788°, elevation 409 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).