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The climate of Laos
Laos, or officially the Lao People’s Republic, is a country located in
the southeastern part of Asia. The country borders the countries of
China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar and is a landlocked
country. However, a large number of rivers flow through the country.
Several of these rivers flow into the South China Sea. The most
important river is the Mekong River which flows along the border with
Thailand and continues in Cambodia. The largest part of Laos has a
tropical savannah climate (type Aw according to the Köppen climate
classification). A region in the eastern part of the country has a
tropical monsoon climate and the most northern part of the country has
a warm China climate (type Cwa). During the summer this area gets more
than 400 millimeters of rain.
Climate information of places and areas in Laos
The climate information on this page is only brief. Specific
information about weather and climate can be found on the climate
pages per area or town. As for Laos the following climate
information is available:
Temperatures
Laos mainly consists of rugged mountainous terrain with lower areas
along the border with Thailand in the west. The lowest part of Laos is
the Mekong River with an average altitude of about 70 meters above sea
level. The many differences in altitude (the highest point in the
country is at an altitude of 2,817 meters) causes unstable
precipitation patterns. On the windward side of a mountain is may rain
for several days in a row while at the same time it is sunny on the
leeward side. Because of the differences in altitude and the
geographical variation there are also large differences in
temperatures. In the drier places it may be very hot during the
summer. In places where it does rain (mostly on the windward side of a
mountain) it may be 5-10 degrees cooler ate the same time. In the
lower areas average maximum temperatures are between 26-30 degrees
Celsius (78.8-86 degrees Fahrenheit) during the winter. During the
hottest month (April) temperatures may rise up to 33-38 degrees
Celsius (91.4-100 degrees Fahrenheit).
Rainy season
Large differences can be recorded in the number of rainy days and
precipitation figures between the driest months (December and January)
and the period from May till September. During the rainy season which
starts in May about 250-350 millimeters of precipitation falls per
month. The northern part of the country may even record up to 600
millimeters of precipitation per month during the wettest months. In
October, when dry air is supplied from the north precipitation figures
rapidly decrease. From this moment precipitation figures remain low
till April.
Hurricanes
During the hurricane season from June till December there is a risk of
hurricanes in Laos. Laos is situated in a supply route. However,
because Laos is landlocked and is protected by mountains the number of
hurricanes that eventually reach Laos is small. If a hurricane does
reach Laos it leaves a trail of destruction and may even cause
casualties just like in September 2009 when hurricane Ketsana hit
Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Climate figures
Throughout Laos several climate figures and temperatures can be
recorded. The figures below are for the capital Vientiane and cannot
be seen as an average for the country. For climate figures for other
places and regions in Laos please, visit the individual climate pages.
More climate information
Climate tables are useful but they don’t give an overall picture of
the climate and possible weather conditions during a period of time.
How high the chances are of hot or cold weather or hurricanes can
often not be found in these tables. This is why we offer extra climate
information per month. The figures below are for the capital
Vientiane. For climate figures on specific regions and places please,
visit the relevant individual climate pages.
Disclaimer
The information at this site was carefully composed from climate data collected by meteorological services, meteorological offices, climate experts and other sources. “More climate info” is based on statistics, climate data and personal experience. No rights can be derived from this site. Weather has no memory and gives no guaranties. Nothing is as changeable and unpredictable as the weather. The authors of this site feel in no way responsible for any damages caused by misinterpretation or other circumstances that may influence your holiday or trip to a certain destination. We provide information, it’s up to the reader to use it to it’s benefit.
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= 0-5 mm ●
= 6-30 mm ●
= 31-60 mm ●
= 61-100 mm ●
= 101-200 mm ●
=
over 200 mm
