The climate of Pattaya (or Phatthaya), a city in Thailand located on the coast south of Bangkok, at almost 13 degrees north latitude, is
tropical, hot all year round, with a dry season from December to April, and a rainy season from May to mid-November due to the southwest monsoon.
The period before the monsoon, from mid-February to May, is also the hottest of the year: the maximum
temperature can reach 34/35 °C (93/95 °F) and the minimum around 28 °C (82 °F). Luckily, the breeze tempers the heat.
On the contrary, in winter, from December to mid-February, it can sometimes get a bit cool, in fact, lows can drop below 20 °C (68 °F), and highs can remain around 24/25 °C (75/77 °F).
Here are the average temperatures.
Pattaya - Average temperatures (1981-2010) Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
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January | 23 | 30.6 | 26.8 | 73 | 87 | 80.2 |
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February | 24.4 | 31.1 | 27.8 | 76 | 88 | 82 |
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March | 25.4 | 31.8 | 28.6 | 78 | 89 | 83.5 |
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April | 26.3 | 32.9 | 29.6 | 79 | 91 | 85.3 |
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May | 26.4 | 32.4 | 29.4 | 80 | 90 | 84.9 |
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June | 26.3 | 31.7 | 29 | 79 | 89 | 84.2 |
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July | 26 | 31.4 | 28.7 | 79 | 89 | 83.7 |
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August | 26 | 31.2 | 28.6 | 79 | 88 | 83.5 |
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September | 25.2 | 31 | 28.1 | 77 | 88 | 82.6 |
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October | 24.4 | 30.8 | 27.6 | 76 | 87 | 81.7 |
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November | 23.7 | 30.5 | 27.1 | 75 | 87 | 80.8 |
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December | 22.5 | 30 | 26.2 | 72 | 86 | 79.2 |
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Year | 25 | 31.3 | 28.05 | 76.9 | 88.3 | 82.5 |
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Annual
precipitation amounts to about 1,100 millimeters (44 inches), so it is not that heavy, if not in the first phase (May) and in the last (September-October): this happens because the bulk of the rains is released on the Burmese west coast, which therefore protects this area of Thailand. However, some strong downpours can not be excluded also from June to August, although in this period, rainfall remains on average around 95/120 mm (3.7/4.7 in) per month.
In March and April, before the monsoon arrives, there can be a certain increase in rainfall, although the amount of sunshine is still good.
Here is the average precipitation.
Pattaya - Average precipitationMonth | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
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January | 15 | 0.6 | 2 |
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February | 14 | 0.6 | 2 |
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March | 55 | 2.2 | 4 |
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April | 65 | 2.6 | 6 |
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May | 150 | 5.9 | 12 |
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June | 120 | 4.7 | 12 |
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July | 95 | 3.7 | 12 |
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August | 100 | 3.9 | 13 |
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September | 205 | 8.1 | 17 |
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October | 215 | 8.5 | 17 |
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November | 70 | 2.8 | 6 |
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December | 8 | 0.3 | 1 |
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Year | 1110 | 43.7 | 106 |
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The amount of
sunshine in Pattaya is good from December to April, ie the dry period, while it is not so good from May to September, ie the monsoon period, when the sky can remain cloudy for many hours. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Pattaya - Sunshine hoursMonth | Average | Total |
---|
January | 7.5 | 230 | February | 7.5 | 210 | March | 7.5 | 240 | April | 7 | 205 | May | 5 | 155 | June | 4 | 115 | July | 4 | 120 | August | 3.5 | 115 | September | 3.5 | 110 | October | 4.5 | 145 | November | 6.5 | 190 | December | 7.5 | 225 | Year | 5.6 | 2055 |
Pattaya can be reached by
tropical cyclones, in particular by typhoons, which come from the east, normally from June to December (although they are more frequent from September to November), and generally affect more directly the interior of Thailand, but sometimes, they can also enter the Gulf of Thailand.
The
sea in Pattaya is warm enough to swim in all year round, as you can see in the following table.
Pattaya - Sea temperatureMonth | Celsius (°C) | Fahrenheit (°F) |
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January | 27.5 | 82 | February | 28 | 83 | March | 29 | 84 | April | 30 | 86 | May | 30.5 | 87 | June | 30 | 86 | July | 29.5 | 85 | August | 29.5 | 85 | September | 29 | 85 | October | 29.5 | 85 | November | 29 | 84 | December | 28 | 83 | Year | 29.2 | 84.5 |
Best Time
The
best time to go to Pattaya goes
from December to April, that is, in the dry season, with a preference for the period December to mid-February, since later, from mid-February to April, there is an increase in temperature. From December to February, you can bring a sweatshirt for any cool evenings.
If you want to go in summer, in July and August, you will have to cope with sultry heat, increased cloudiness, some showers, sometimes strong, and the risk of a tropical storm or cyclone. However, depending on year and period, the weather can be decent or good for weeks in these months as well.