Yala in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Yala sees average daytime highs around 30°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 355 mm of rain over about 40 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
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 14% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Winter is Yala's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Yala's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 30°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 22°C
- Rainfall
- 355 mm
- 40 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.2
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Yala 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 Yala reaches about 30°C and drops to 22°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest February.
How winter really feels in Yala
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 90 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.
Yala 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 | 30° / 22° | 78 | 11.3 | 11.7 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 32° / 22° | 42 | 7 | 11.8 | 4.1 |
| Mar | 34° / 23° | 86 | 11.9 | 12 | 3.0 |
| Apr | 34° / 24° | 124 | 17.2 | 12.1 | 2.3 |
| May | 34° / 24° | 151 | 22.6 | 12.3 | 2.1 |
| Jun | 34° / 24° | 111 | 19.4 | 12.4 | 2.3 |
| Jul | 34° / 24° | 114 | 19.1 | 12.3 | 2.4 |
| Aug | 34° / 24° | 125 | 20.2 | 12.2 | 2.3 |
| Sep | 33° / 23° | 160 | 22.8 | 12 | 2.4 |
| Oct | 31° / 23° | 268 | 28.1 | 11.9 | 2.5 |
| Nov | 30° / 23° | 290 | 25.8 | 11.7 | 3.0 |
| Dec | 29° / 23° | 236 | 21.3 | 11.6 | 3.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Yala gets around 355 mm of rain over 40 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 7 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min in early December to 11 h 54 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 Yala
In winter, Yala overlaps its pacific typhoon and rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Yala sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Yala's rainy season runs September–December, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Yala?
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 Yala for sightseeing.
What to pack for Yala in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Yala sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 40 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Yala in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 28°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 39 km away) is warmest in May 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | Warm |
| Feb | 28 | Warm |
| Mar | 29 | Tropical |
| Apr | 30 | Tropical |
| May | 30 | Tropical |
| Jun | 30 | Tropical |
| Jul | 30 | Tropical |
| Aug | 30 | Tropical |
| Sep | 30 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 29 | Tropical |
| Dec | 28 | Tropical |
UV index in Yala in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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 Yala peaks around February 22 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 20 at about 11 (extreme).
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) | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Extreme |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 13 | Extreme |
| May | 13 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 14 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
Air quality in Yala 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 Yala is worst in April — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (February, 10 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Yala's WHO annual average of 15.5 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 11 | 10 | 16 | 23 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 12 | 11 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Good |
| Feb | 10 | Good |
| Mar | 16 | Moderate |
| Apr | 23 | Moderate |
| May | 16 | Moderate |
| Jun | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 18 | Moderate |
| Aug | 17 | Moderate |
| Sep | 18 | Moderate |
| Oct | 17 | Moderate |
| Nov | 12 | Good |
| Dec | 11 | Good |
Where is Yala?
Yala sits at 6.5°N, 101.3°E, 24 m above sea level, in Thailand. The nearest listed city is Pattani, 37 km away.
Topography around Yala
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Yala.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Yala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 77 m around an average of 23 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 793 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,495 m.
The land around Yala is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and trees (40%) within 3 km, trees (80%) within 16 km, and trees (66%) and water (29%) 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 Yala (6.54°, 101.2813°, elevation 24 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.