CLIMATE OF MYANMAR: WEATHER, SEASONS, STORMS

CLIMATE OF MYANMAR

climate map of Myanmat

Straddling the Tropic of Cancer and not so far north of the Equator, Myanmar has three major seasons: the dry, hot season (March to May), the cool season (November to February) , and the wet monsoon season (June to October) . Rainfall during the monsoon season totals more than 500 centimeters (200 inches) in upper Myanmar and over 250 centimeters (100 inches) in the river valleys and delta of Lower Myanmar, including Yangon. Central Myanmar, called the dry zone, and Mandalay, the chief city in the area, each receive about 76 centimeters (30 inches). The coastal areas in the west and south have high rainfall over 500 centimeters (200 inches) a year. During the rainy season it can rain continuously all day.

The climate of Myanmar is cloudy, rainy, hot and humid summers when the southwest monsoon dominates from June to September. It less cloudy, with scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity when the northeast monsoon prevails in December to April. The "cool" months from November to February are the best time to travel in Myanmar as a whole. The temperatures are relatively mild, the days are bright and sunny, and humidity is low. In the mountains, however, it sometimes is cold at night. In most parts of Myanmar the dry season months are very hot, especially in April and May, before the arrival of the monsoons, when temperatures are often above 40 degrees C (100 degrees F) everyday. This a good time of the year to visit the mountains.

Climatically, Burma is unlike other Southeast Asian countries in that a considerable dry zone exists in the center of the country where rainfall can be less than 30 inches a year. This arid area, the dry zone, results from its location in the "rain shadow" of the Arakan Mountains that are situated between the dry zone and the Bay of Bengal. The dry climate is the result of the monsoon clouds first striking the eastern ranges of the Arakan Mountains and then being shunted higher into the atmosphere inhibiting rainfall until the rain clouds strike the Shan Plateau.

The average annual temperature is 28°C (82°F) for Myanmar as a whole. The average annual precipitation: 262 centimeters (103 inches), Temperatures can dip below freezing (0°C, 32°F) in mountainous areas, some of which have snow, and soar as high as 45°C (113°F) on the central plains. Humidity ranges from 66 percent to 83 percent. Temperatures average 20°C (68°F) in January and 29°C (85°F) in July. The average annual temperature is 27°C (81°F); average daily temperatures in Yangon (Rangoon) range from 18 to 32°C (64 to 90°F) in January, during the cool season, and from 24 to 36°C (75 to 97°F) in April, during the hot season. [Source: Blackbirch Kid's Visual Reference of the World, Gale Group, Inc., 2001; Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia, Gale Group Inc., 2003; Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Thomson Gale, 2007]

Monsoons and Seasons in Myanmar

1968 Burma Climate Regions

Much of Myanmar is characterized by distinct seasonal weather patterns. During the northern winter months, dry, cool winds blow from the stable continental Asian high-pressure system, resulting in a dry period under clear skies across much of the south, center, and west (the dry, northeast monsoon). As the continental system weakens in spring, the wind direction reverses and air masses forming the southwest monsoon pick up moisture from the seas to the southwest and bring abundant rains as they rise over the hills and mountains.

The rainy season (May through October) is still a good time to visit Myanmar. Rains tend to fall in short afternoon downpours during the rainy season, when the countryside is lush and green and beautiful but the jungles are full of leeches and dirt roads in remote areas become impassable. In the lowlands it is extremely hot in March, April and May. In highlands it is cold from November to February. In the dry season, road travel is easier but the countryside is often brown and dusty. The Dry Zone can be extremely hot with temperature sometimes exceeding 45 degrees C (112 degrees F). In this area at this time of the year people often move their beds and furniture outside and sleep outside and gossip late into the night.

The rainy season in Myanmar coincides more or less with the rainy seasons in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, but is different from the rainy season on the west coast of Malaysia (from September to November) and rainy season in Singapore, Borneo, Indonesia and the east coast of Malaysia (November to January). The rainy season in southern China is generally most intense in June and July.

Regional Variations in Climate in Myanmar

Because Myanmar embraces a varied topography and stretches a relatively long distance between north and south, the climate can vary quite a bit from region to region. Since Myanmar stretches into the southern Himalayas and northernmost reaches of Southeast Asia, much of central and northern Burma has a temperate climate although the southern third of the country is quite tropical with heavy rains and high temperatures.

The average temperature of Yangon and the Irrawaddy Delta us about 32 degrees C (90 degrees F). The mean annual temperature is 27 degrees C (81 degrees F); average daily temperatures in Yangon (Rangoon) range from 18 degrees to 32 degrees C (64–90 degrees F) in January, during the cool season, and from 24 degrees to 36 degrees C (75–97 degrees F) in April, during the hot season. The climate in upper Myanmar, particularly at altitudes ranging from about 300 to 1,220 meters (1,000–4,000 ft), is the most temperate throughout the year, while lower Myanmar, especially in the delta and coastal regions, is the most humid.

Several weeks of heavy monsoon rains in August 2019 swamped Myanmar and southern and western India, unleashing destructive floods and landslides; The above-average monsoon rainfall caused rivers and streams to overflow their banks, while destabilizing hillsides in several regions; The annual monsoon in south Asia typically has its greatest impact between July and September; India, for instance, receives roughly 70 percent of its annual rainfall from the monsoon; The rain is critical for replenishing freshwater supplies and for watering crops; But with at least 15 percent of the country prone to floods, the monsoon also leads to several thousand deaths each year; The image depicts satellite-based measurements of rainfall from August 1–12, 2019; The darkest reds reflect the highest rainfall amounts, with many places receiving 60 centimeters (24 inches) or more during this period

In the Dry Zone temperatures can reach 46 degrees C (114 degrees F) and a number of customs have evolved to deal with these conditions. During the hottest times many people move their beds and mattresses outside, sometimes even in the roads. [Source: Culture Shock! Myanmar by Saw Myat Yin, 2007]

Storms, Lightning and Tornadoes in Myanmar

Natural hazards in Myanmar include destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (May to September); periodic droughts.

The typhoon season is from June to October. Although Myanmar sometimes experiences heavy rain this time of the year it is protected from the high winds by Vietnam (typhoons approach Southeast Asia from the Pacific). Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal generally head to India and Bangladesh not Myanmar but sometimes they can strike Myanmar with devastating consequences as was the case with Cyclone Nargis, which killed over 120,000 people.

According to the meteorological department of Myanmar more than 200 people were killed by lightning in Myanmar in 2007. In October 2008, four people were killed and two were injured when lightning struck a roadside bamboo shop in the village of Dahut-kon in central Myanmar. [Source: Kyodo]

In August 2007, AFP reported: “Two children were killed and two others were injured when a tornado destroyed a school building in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady River delta, official media. The school building collapsed when the tornado struck on Saturday morning in Labutta township, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) southwest of Yangon, the official New Light of Myanmar newspaper said. A total of about 60 houses, school buildings and offices were also damaged by the tornado, the paper said. [Source: August 6, 2007]

“Meanwhile, other parts of the country remain hit by severe floods, with thousands feared home-less, the paper said. Severe flooding was first reported in early July in Bago, 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Yangon. Authorities have been warning of dangerously high waters on four of the rivers that run the length of the country.

“Myanmar’s rainy season began in June and seasonal flooding is an annual problem. Some parts of Myanmar have experienced record rainfall in 2007. Myanmar has suffered a series of deadly storms since late May, when eight people were killed by a storm that lashed the country’s western coast. A woman was killed in Yangon in late June when a tornado ripped through part of the city.”

See Separate Article: CYCLONES AND FLOODS IN MYANMAR factsanddetails.com

Cyclones in Myanmar

Myanmar is struck by cyclones. "Cyclone" is the name given to a hurricane-like storm when it occurs in the northern Indian Ocean or the Bay of Bengal. Known as typhoons in much of East Asia and hurricanes in the Western hemisphere, they are large-scale rotating storms that generate high winds and typically form at sea before moving inland.

The cyclone season is during the rain monsoon season from May to October. The typhoon season in the Pacific is from June to October. Although Myanmar sometimes experiences heavy rain this time of the year from these storms it is protected from the high winds by Vietnam (typhoons approach Southeast Asia from the Pacific).

Tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal generally head to India and Bangladesh not Myanmar. They only have hit the country on average only once in 40 years. But when they do strike the results can be devastating as was the case in 2008 with Cyclone Nargis, which killed over 120,000 people. Tropical storms routinely lash Rakhine state — a key fishing area — during the monsoon season, which Yangon meteorological services said usually begins in late May in Rakhine.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: The Irrawaddy, Myanmar Travel Information, burmalibrary.org, burmanet.org, “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 5: East/Southeast Asia:” edited by Paul Hockings, 1993; National Geographic, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Encyclopedia.com, Library of Congress, Live Science, The Conversation, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Google AI, Wikipedia, The Guardian and various websites, books and other publications.

Last updated June 2026