Climate
Chiang Mai’s northern location and moderate elevation results in the city having a more temperate climate than that of much of Central, Eastern and Southern Thailand. Chiang Mai has a tropical wet and dry climate, tempered by the low latitude and moderate elevation, with warm to hot weather year-round, though nighttime conditions during the dry season can be cool and are much lower than daytime highs. The maximum temperature ever recorded is 42.4 °C (108.3 °F) in May 2005. As with the rest of Thailand there are three seasons.
- A cool/dry season from mid Oct-mid Feb (it’s really only cool at night, and a few days here and there in Dec/Jan)
- A hot season from mid Feb-mid Jun (hot, hot, hot)
- A wet season from mid Jun-mid Oct (hot and wet, though cooler than the hot season, clouds and the occasional downpour help cool things off)
However, note that it can be hot in the cool season (during the day), wet in the cool/dry season (though days go by without rain, it is not unheard of), and dry (and hot) in the wet season. One nice thing about the wet season is that the prevalence of clouds can moderate the heat.
From late February through April (and sometimes into May) is the region’s burning season. This is throughout Northern Thailand, Northeastern Myanmar, and Northern Laos during this time. Traditional “Slash-and-burn” agriculture, waste from rice and maize harvests is burned this time of year, together with forest clearing and general trash disposal. This is a time of moderate to severe health impacts. The air pollution may be tracked at aqicn.org.
