Thailand Climate
Top 5 Cities: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket, and Nonthaburi
This month in numbers
Thailand experienced an April that was 0.4°C warmer than the 1961–1990 baseline, ranking as the 29th warmest April in 86 years of records. The three-month period from February to April 2026 saw an average temperature of 27.28°C, an anomaly of +0.6°C, making it the 22nd warmest such period on record. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C, while the February–April 2026 period also ranked as the 2nd warmest globally for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.2°C.
What changed
Thailand's recent warming trend continues, with the latest three-month average temperature sitting 0.6°C above the long-term average. This places Thailand 227th out of 234 regions for its three-month anomaly, indicating it is among the cooler regions globally relative to its own historical average. The country's latest annual average temperature in 2025 was 27.39°C, making it the warmest year on record. Thailand officially entered its 2026 rainy season on May 15th, though rainfall is forecast to be around 10% below normal for the year.
What’s driving change?
The warming trend in Thailand is influenced by the broader global warming, with the country's long-term trend showing an increase of +1.13°C against the 1961–1990 baseline. The current ENSO state is Neutral, but there is a strong forecast for El Niño to develop from May to July 2026, with probabilities rising to 98% by August-September-October. Historically, El Niño events in Maritime Southeast Asia are associated with warmer and drier conditions, increasing the risk of severe drought and fires. Thailand is already experiencing a drought that began in January 2026 and is ongoing, representing 100% of the drought events logged for the past 12 months, an unusual concentration. Additionally, a flood event occurred in mid-May, also representing 100% of the flood events in the past year, highlighting the climate variability. More information on these events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
The forecast suggests that Thailand will experience above-normal temperatures throughout 2026, with average annual rainfall likely to be below normal, potentially impacting water reserves in 2027.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
Loading climate data...
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.
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 trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
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.