🛺 Bangkok Weather

Three seasons of tropical heat

Bangkok has a tropical savanna climate and ranks among the hottest major cities on Earth, with warmth that never really lets up. Thais divide the year into three seasons — hot, wet, and cool — but for visitors the distinction is mostly between degrees of heat and how much rain comes with it. The low-lying city sprawls across a humid river delta that holds the warmth in.

The brutal hot season

The hot season, from March to May, is punishing: April highs climb to around 96°F (36°C), and with thick humidity the heat index can soar well past 110°F (43°C). The air is heavy and still, and this pre-monsoon stretch is widely considered the most uncomfortable time of year.

The monsoon and the mild "cool" season

The wet season runs roughly May through October, when the southwest monsoon brings near-daily afternoon downpours and the risk of flooding in the delta — the catastrophic floods of 2011 remain a stark memory. The "cool" season, November to February, is the pleasant exception, with lower humidity, less rain, and highs in the upper 80s°F (around 31°C) — peak tourist time.

Bangkok averages about 60 inches (1,520 mm) of rain a year, overwhelmingly in the monsoon months. Even in the "cool" season it never gets cold — the city stays warm and tropical all year long.

Three tropical seasons and monsoon floods

Bangkok is one of the hottest big cities on Earth, with a tropical climate split into three seasons: a hot season from March to May when the humid heat becomes punishing past 95°F (35°C), a rainy monsoon season from June to October, and a cooler, drier 'winter' from November to February.

The southwest monsoon brings the heavy rains that regularly flood the low-lying, canal-laced city, with the catastrophic 2011 floods a stark memory. The cool season — merely warm by most standards — is the pleasant window that draws the most visitors. Humidity stays high year-round, keeping the felt temperature well above the thermometer.