Riding weather · Thailand
Chiang Mai motorcycle weather by month
On our rules, the best months to ride in the Chiang Mai area are November to January.
The driest months are February, March and December; the wettest is August, with about 320 mm of rain over 27 rain days.
Days are warmest in April (average high 34 °C) and nights coldest in January (average low 15 °C).
Month by month
Chiang Mai city and the Samoeng Loop hills.
- JanGood26°/15°21 mm
- FebMixed29°/16°7 mm
- MarMixed33°/19°12 mm
- AprMixed34°/22°47 mm
- MayMixed32°/23°134 mm
- JunMixed29°/23°192 mm
- JulPoor29°/22°261 mm
- AugPoor28°/22°320 mm
- SeptPoor28°/22°256 mm
- OctMixed27°/20°164 mm
- NovGood27°/18°30 mm
- DecGood25°/15°16 mm
Average high/low in °C and monthly rain. How we rate months
- Burning season: fires in the dry season fill the northern valleys with smoke haze, usually worst in March. Air quality can be poor for days at a time. Source
Show the numbers
| Month | Riding | High | Low | Rain | Rain days | PM2.5 | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Good | 26 °C 78 °F | 15 °C 58 °F | 21 mm | 3 | 26 | |
| February | Mixed | 29 °C 84 °F | 16 °C 61 °F | 7 mm | 1 | 28 | see note |
| March | Mixed | 33 °C 91 °F | 19 °C 67 °F | 12 mm | 2 | 38 | hazy |
| April | Mixed | 34 °C 92 °F | 22 °C 71 °F | 47 mm | 7 | 31 | see note |
| May | Mixed | 32 °C 90 °F | 23 °C 73 °F | 134 mm | 16 | 19 | wet |
| June | Mixed | 29 °C 85 °F | 23 °C 73 °F | 192 mm | 21 | 13 | wet |
| July | Poor | 29 °C 83 °F | 22 °C 72 °F | 261 mm | 24 | 12 | very wet |
| August | Poor | 28 °C 82 °F | 22 °C 71 °F | 320 mm | 27 | 13 | very wet |
| September | Poor | 28 °C 82 °F | 22 °C 71 °F | 256 mm | 24 | 15 | very wet |
| October | Mixed | 27 °C 81 °F | 20 °C 69 °F | 164 mm | 18 | 20 | wet |
| November | Good | 27 °C 80 °F | 18 °C 64 °F | 30 mm | 7 | 24 | |
| December | Good | 25 °C 78 °F | 15 °C 60 °F | 16 mm | 2 | 25 |
Rain days: days with at least 1 mm. Averages of daily values, 2015 to 2024, for Chiang Mai and Samoeng road, corrected to riding elevation. Reanalysis smooths mountains and local showers, so read these as a regional picture rather than a forecast. PM2.5 in µg/m³ from the CAMS global model, 2022 to 2025; it tends to read lower than ground monitors during smoke episodes.
Climate data: Open-Meteo / ERA5, 2015 to 2024 (CC BY 4.0).
Planning guides
Free ride routes here
- The Samoeng LoopChiang Mai's classic day ride: a jungle waterfall, a climb to 1,100 metres through pine forest, and a ridge road home. Tarmac all the way.
- The Mae Hong Son LoopNorthern Thailand's classic multi-day ride: the corners of Route 1095 to Pai, over the hills to Mae Hong Son, then south and home on Route 108 through Mae Sariang. About 590 km of tarmac, with a free GPX for the whole loop and for each day.
Guided motorcycle tours in Thailand
Local operators who run tours in Thailand, with dates, bikes and prices. Ask them about the season you have in mind.
See 32 tours in Thailand