In numerous countries around the world, it usually gets extremely cold during the winter and some other periods of the year that snows may even fall. So, you might be wondering whether it ever gets cold in Thailand. And if it does, how cold can it really get in Thailand?
Sometimes, the weather is cold in Thailand, but this does not happen many times because Thailand is a semi-tropical country with typical hot weather. According to Thailandtravelessentials.com, the coldest day in Thailand can be around 26°C (i.e. 78.8°). This period is usually considered to be the cold season in Thailand, but it can rarely get colder than this.
As a result of this, people don’t experience the typical cold weather that is often encountered in many other countries around the globe. Regardless of the season, it is still likely going to be sunny during some particular periods of every day in the Land of Smiles. It is, however, worthwhile to realize that Thailand sometimes witnesses unusual weather when everything may be colder than the average.
What is the weather like in Thailand?
Foremost, you must know that it is often hot for most of the year in Thailand. However, the weather is not the same throughout the year in various parts of this country. The weather of the northern region of Thailand is quite different from the weather of the southern part of the country.
As noted by Travelfish.org, there are well-defined seasons in the northern part of Thailand. The dry season lasts between November and May. Nonetheless, the dry season can be categorized into two. The first one is from November to February whereas the second period of the dry season is from March to May. The relative temperatures of Thailand from March to May are higher than in the other period. It should be noted that the northeast monsoon has no direct influence on this region, but it encourages cool breezes to flow through the area.
In the northern part of Thailand, the southwest monsoon takes place from May to November. The region is bound to experience lots of rainfalls during this period. As the season goes on, it will get somewhat cold in the northern part of the country. Heavy dew, frost, and so on are often seen in the region during this season. However, the sun will still shine intermittently during the monsoon.
In the southern area of Thailand, there are two basic seasons, which are the dry and wet seasons. Notably, the east and west parts of the southern region of Thailand do not experience the same season at the same period. Heavy rainfall and storms are often encountered in the southwestern part from April to October. But the same weather is experienced in the southeastern region between September and December. The dry season takes place during the remaining months of the year in each region.
It should be understood that rain falls more in the southern regions of Thailand than in the northern parts of the country. In the southern parts, you can look forward to encountering 2,400 mm of rainfall every year. In comparison, the northern and central regions of the country only get about 1,400 mm of rainfall per year.
What’s the coldest temperature ever experienced in Thailand?
Based on the information from different sources, the coldest temperature ever recorded in the whole of the country was 2°C (around 35°F). This was discovered and recorded in the winter of 1955 in Chiang Rai, which is one of the cities in Thailand.
It was even said that it snowed in the city during this period, but this claim has been highly debated by many individuals that noted that it had never snowed in the country. It has been claimed that the assumed snow was hail that was formed by low temperatures.
Notably, it was not only Chiang Mai that witnessed extremely low temperatures in 1955. In the same year, the coldest temperature ever in the capital city was recorded. The temperature was said to be 10°C (around 50°F), which was quite too cold for a tropical country like Thailand.
Has cold ever caused any issues in Thailand?
Yes, cold leads to a wide range of problems for people in Thailand. According to Aljazeera.com, the temperature fell to about 5°C in some parts of Thailand including the Chai Nat province in 2016. For a country that rarely gets colder than 20°c, it was difficult to adapt to the significant drop in the temperature.
Unfortunately, the cold was quite unusual; hence, many Thai households in the affected region were not prepared for it. Storms and flooding also followed this problem; hence, more than 3,000 households were affected. Sadly, the event led to the death of about 12 individuals during the period. The body of the people couldn’t deal with extreme cold. In addition, many individuals could not afford to purchase sweaters, gloves, and other things that could help to lower the effect of the cold. As stated by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the deaths of the victims were associated with respiratory diseases or exposure.
However, you should note that the 2016 cold didn’t take place in only Thailand as many cities and towns in other Asian countries had a similar experience. Amami Oshima and Okinawa (Japan), southern China, Hong Kong, and lots more also encountered extreme cold during the same period.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, it sometimes gets cold in Thailand as the temperature may fall to about 26°C or lower during the wet season. However, if you are from a country with a winter season, the cold in Thailand may not seem to be cold enough for you. This is probably because you are already used to a colder temperature. Nevertheless, when it is cold in this Southeast Asian country, you will likely experience lots of rainfall during the same season, with the northern region getting more rainfall and cold than the southern part of the nation.
