Phayao in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Phayao sees average daytime highs around 30°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 37 mm of rain over about 6 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 29°C in early December to 33°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels humid.
Winter is Phayao's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Phayao's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 30°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 17°C
- Rainfall
- 37 mm
- 6 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.5
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Phayao in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 29°C in early December to 33°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Phayao reaches about 30°C and drops to 17°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Phayao
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 16 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.
Phayao 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 | 29° / 16° | 15 | 2.5 | 11 | 6.8 |
| Feb | 32° / 17° | 6 | 1.2 | 11.3 | 5.2 |
| Mar | 35° / 20° | 28 | 3.9 | 11.9 | 3.4 |
| Apr | 35° / 24° | 71 | 9.5 | 12.4 | 2.4 |
| May | 34° / 25° | 166 | 19.7 | 12.9 | 2.4 |
| Jun | 33° / 25° | 144 | 21.5 | 13.1 | 2.4 |
| Jul | 32° / 25° | 221 | 24.8 | 13 | 2.5 |
| Aug | 31° / 25° | 253 | 26.4 | 12.7 | 2.6 |
| Sep | 32° / 24° | 208 | 23 | 12.1 | 2.8 |
| Oct | 31° / 23° | 98 | 14.7 | 11.6 | 4.1 |
| Nov | 30° / 20° | 31 | 5 | 11.1 | 6.0 |
| Dec | 28° / 17° | 16 | 2.4 | 10.9 | 7.6 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Phayao gets around 37 mm of rain over 6 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels humid — 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 4.8 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Phayao
In winter, Phayao overlaps 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.
Is winter a good time to visit Phayao?
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 a reasonable time to visit Phayao for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Phayao in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Phayao sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 6 days see rain.
UV index in Phayao 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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 8 | 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 | 8 | 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 Phayao 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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 16 | 23 | 51 | 39 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Moderate |
| Feb | 23 | Moderate |
| Mar | 51 | Poor |
| Apr | 39 | Poor |
| May | 16 | Moderate |
| Jun | 9 | Good |
| Jul | 9 | Good |
| Aug | 9 | Good |
| Sep | 9 | Good |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 11 | Good |
| Dec | 13 | Moderate |
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.
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.
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 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.