Thailand Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket, and Nonthaburi
Summary
Thailand recorded a warmer than average July, part of a three-month stretch that ranked among the region's top 15 warmest May to July periods on record. While local heat remained relatively moderate compared to global extremes, the planet recorded its 3rd warmest July and 2nd warmest May to July period in historical records. Tropical weather patterns were increasingly shaped by a moderate El Niño, which is intensifying and forecast with an 81% probability to peak at Very Strong in October to December, bringing hints of drier conditions in the coming months.
This month in numbers
Thailand recorded an average temperature of 27.31°C in July, which sits 0.7°C above the 1961–1990 baseline and ranks as the 19th warmest July in 87 years of observations. That contributed to a warm May to July seasonal period averaging 27.94°C, an anomaly of +0.9°C that marks the 14th warmest such three-month stretch on record. In contrast to Thailand's moderate anomaly, land areas worldwide experienced extraordinary warmth, with the global land surface registering its 3rd warmest July on record at 1.6°C above average, alongside the 2nd warmest May to July period globally.
What changed
The recent three-month warmth fits within Thailand's overall warming trend of +1.06°C relative to the late 20th century baseline. While 2024 remains the country's warmest full year on record at 27.39°C, the complete year of 2025 averaged 26.32°C, placing it as the 23rd warmest year in 86 years of records. Across the broader Asia continent tracked at Asia, Thailand was relatively cooler than average this month, with its July anomaly ranking 203rd out of 232 global regions and sitting 0.86°C below the continental mean of +1.57°C.
What’s driving change?
Regional climate dynamics in Thailand are currently influenced by alongside the evolving tropical Pacific climate, where a moderate El Niño is currently active. The state of ENSO, monitored on our live tracker at ENSO, typically brings warmer and drier conditions to Maritime Southeast Asia during warm phases, with a historical reliability of roughly 80%. As , the surrounding tropical waters and shifting monsoon troughs have driven erratic weather patterns across the Indochinese Peninsula.
Looking ahead
Seasonal climate models project that the active El Niño will strengthen into late autumn, maintaining an elevated risk of prolonged dry spells and above-average temperatures across Southeast Asia over the next one to three months.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – Global
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance (countries & continents) · Met Office (UK) · US states & climate regions. Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.
Typical Climate – Thailand
Köppen Aw · TropicalThailand has a tropical climate (Köppen Aw: Tropical savanna (dry winter)), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. April is typically the warmest month, averaging 29.2°C, while December is the coldest at 23.9°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1620mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Monthly climate normals (2016–2025) - bar colour and height show average temperature, the shaded area shows average monthly precipitation.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Long-Term Trends
Combined Timeline – Thailand
Right axis: everything else standardized to standard deviations (σ) from its own average, since mm/hours/days aren't directly comparable to °C or to each other.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – Thailand
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI heatwave measure: days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.
Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived). Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Thailand
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Thailand
Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Records – Thailand
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen Aw · TropicalThailand has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±2.6°C) and a wet/dry cycle (14× wet:dry ratio). Both sides of the annual rhythm are shown below.
Monthly precipitation climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Jul (+22 mm, +10%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Climate Systems
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Emissions & Energy
Explore
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Thailand
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
Country-level temperature anomaly, sourced from Copernicus ERA5 and Hadley HadCRUT5.
Annual country and global CO₂ emissions, from the Global Carbon Project.
Monthly rainfall - Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD) preferred, World Bank CCKP/CRU TS fallback where GPCC lacks direct coverage.
Frost Days and Heatwave Days (Warm Spell Duration Index), ERA5-derived. World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Monthly snow water-equivalent, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD).
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Thailand changing?
Thailand is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
What is the climate like in Thailand?
Thailand has a tropical climate (Köppen Aw: Tropical savanna (dry winter)), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. April is typically the warmest month, averaging 29.2°C, while December is the coldest at 23.9°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1620mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for Thailand come from?
Climate data for Thailand comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Thailand climate data cover?
The Thailand climate profile covers Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Thailand
How often is the Thailand climate update refreshed?
The Thailand climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.
What counts as a Heatwave Day on the Thailand climate page?
Heatwave Days use the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI-standard heatwave measure: days that are part of a run of 6 or more consecutive days above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that calendar day. The 90th-percentile threshold varies by time of year (a hot day in January is judged differently to one in July) but is fixed to the 1961-1990 baseline for every year shown - it does not shift as the climate warms, which is why Heatwave Days trend upward over time.
Does the Thailand climate page include frost and snow data?
Yes. Frost Days (days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, World Bank CCKP) and snow water-equivalent (GPCC) are shown alongside temperature and precipitation, each measured against the 1961-1990 baseline where a like-for-like historical comparison is available.