Practical guide
The start of the good season, lanterns in Chiang Mai, and the wettest month on Koh Samui.
Yes, if you pick the right coast. November is when Bangkok, the north and the northeast dry out, and the Andaman coast (Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi, Koh Lanta) improves week by week as the southwest monsoon ends. It's also the wettest month of the year on Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, so leave the Gulf islands for later in the season. Prices sit below the December and January peak, and the month holds the best-known night of the Thai year, Loy Krathong, on the November full moon (24 November in 2026), with Chiang Mai's Yi Peng lantern festival around it.
Averages for eight weather stations, one for each part of the country. Tap a region in the table to jump to it, or switch to °F and inches.
| Region | High | Low | Rain | Rain days | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok | 33°C | 25°C | 45 mm | 4 | – |
| Chiang Mai | 31°C | 20°C | 41 mm | 3 | – |
| Phuket | 32°C | 25°C | 178 mm | 13 | 29°C |
| Koh Samui | 30°C | 24°C | 445 mm | 16 | 29°C |
| Pattaya | 31°C | 24°C | 57 mm | 4 | 29°C |
| Hua Hin | 31°C | 25°C | 73 mm | 4 | – |
| Koh Chang | 33°C | 24°C | 85 mm | 7 | 29°C |
| Isan | 32°C | 21°C | 22 mm | 2 | – |
Central plains and the capital
Highs of 33°C and lows of 25°C, 45 mm of rain on about 4 days, 6.5 hours of sun a day.
The month Bangkok's rainy season ends. Early November can still bring a storm or two, but humidity drops fast and by the end of the month the city is in its dry season.
The north: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pai
Highs of 31°C and lows of 20°C, 41 mm of rain on about 3 days, 7.6 hours of sun a day.
Dry, clear and green after the rains, with cool nights. Loy Krathong and Yi Peng make it the most atmospheric week of the year in the city, and the most booked out.
Andaman coast: Phuket, Krabi, Koh Lanta, Khao Lak
Highs of 32°C and lows of 25°C, 178 mm of rain on about 13 days, sea at 29°C.
A transition month. Early November can still be showery with swell on the west-coast beaches, and conditions improve steadily toward December. The Similan Islands have been open since mid-October.
Gulf islands: Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao
Highs of 30°C and lows of 24°C, 445 mm of rain on about 16 days, sea at 29°C.
The wettest month of the year on the Gulf islands, with rain on about half the days and rough seas some days. Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are better from late December.
Upper Gulf: Pattaya, Koh Samet, Rayong
Highs of 31°C and lows of 24°C, 57 mm of rain on about 4 days, sea at 29°C.
Drying out quickly after October, Pattaya's wettest month. Most of November is dry and the sea is calming down.
Western Gulf: Hua Hin, Cha-am, Pranburi
Highs of 31°C and lows of 25°C, 73 mm of rain on about 4 days, 6.4 hours of sun a day.
Hua Hin's rainy season ends in October, and November turns dry and breezy, with only the occasional shower.
Eastern seaboard: Koh Chang, Koh Kood, Koh Mak
Highs of 33°C and lows of 24°C, 85 mm of rain on about 7 days, sea at 29°C.
The rain eases off sharply from October, and Koh Chang's dry season begins. Late November is the better half.
Northeast: Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Korat, Buriram, Ubon
Highs of 32°C and lows of 21°C, 22 mm of rain on about 2 days, 7.4 hours of sun a day.
Dry and clearing, with the nights getting cool. Surin's Elephant Round-up falls on the third weekend of the month.
Source WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991–2020 (Thai Meteorological Department stations). Averages for 1991–2020, and rain days count days with at least 1 mm. Sea temperatures: Climates to Travel monthly sea-surface averages. Koh Chang uses the Trat station on the facing mainland and Isan uses Khon Kaen.
Arriving in Chiang Mai
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Go north and west. Chiang Mai, Bangkok and the Andaman coast are all good in November, and the Gulf islands are the one place to avoid.
The best month of the year for the north, with dry, clear weather, green hills after the rains and Loy Krathong. Book Chiang Mai rooms three months or more ahead if your dates touch 24 November.
Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi and Koh Lanta move from wet to dry through November, and the second half is the safer bet for boat trips. Prices are still below the December peak.
Bangkok is drying out and Loy Krathong on the Chao Phraya is a fine way to spend the full-moon night. Sukhothai, where the festival is said to have begun, holds its celebration among the ruins of the historical park. Kanchanaburi's River Kwai Bridge Week starts in late November and runs into December.
November is the wettest month on Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. If they're on your list, move them to January or later.
Loy Krathong falls on the full moon of the twelfth Thai lunar month, which is 24 November in 2026. Across the country people float krathongs, small decorated rafts with a candle and incense, on rivers, canals and ponds to let go of the year's bad luck.
Chiang Mai celebrates Loy Krathong together with Yi Peng, the northern lantern festival, over the nights around the full moon. Lanterns go up across the city and candles line the Old City moat. The famous mass lantern release in Doi Saket is a separately ticketed event, so buy from the organizer's own site.
The northeastern town of Surin holds its elephant festival over the third weekend of November, with a parade and a long elephant breakfast in town.
Haad Rin on Koh Phangan holds its party on the same full moon as Loy Krathong. It's the wettest month on the island, so pack for rain.
November is the start of high season, but the beaches are not yet at December prices, especially in the first half of the month. The exception is Chiang Mai around Loy Krathong, which sells out at premium rates. Book that week three months or more ahead, and the rest of the month a few weeks out.
Chiang Mai's nights get cool from November, and the lantern festival is an evening event.
Shoulders and knees covered for temples, which matters more than usual during Loy Krathong, when many of the celebrations are at wats.
Once the rain clears the sun is strong, especially on the water.
Common questions about thailand in november.
Other months, and the whole year at a glance
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Written by
Mac Kiley
I lived in Bangkok for four years and traveled the country from there. The guides are my own opinions, written the way I'd explain them to a friend planning a trip.
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