Seasons in Cambodia
Cambodia has a tropical monsoon climate with one rainy and one dry season. The rainy season lasts from May to early October and accounts for about 90% of annual precipitation. The dry season runs from November to April: the northeast monsoon brings drier and cooler air from November to March, and hotter air follows in April and early May.[1] The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology describes April as the hottest month, with maximum temperatures up to about 40 °C, and January as the coldest, with temperatures around 21 °C and highs of about 31 °C.[2] In our data, the April mean daily high ranges from 32.8 °C at Koh Rong to 36.0 °C at Battambang.
Rain is not spread evenly. Average annual rainfall is 1,500 mm or less in the central plain and above 3,000 mm over most of the southwest coastal region, the highest figure the ministry gives for any part of the country, while the lower Mekong valley and the Tonle Sap basin are relatively drier at 1,200 to 1,500 mm. From the latter part of July there are often periods of ten to fifteen days or more without significant rain, which the ministry calls the short dry season.[2] Tropical cyclones rarely reach Cambodia at full force because mountain chains surround the country.[1] In our storm data for 1995 to 2024, no place had a tropical storm within 200 km in more than 3 of 30 years in any month, and that peak is Stung Treng in November.
Region by region
Northwest (Siem Reap, Battambang)
Siem Reap and Battambang follow the same inland pattern: a cool, very dry start to the year and a long wet season that peaks in September. From November to February both rate best, and January is the driest month at 2 mm in Siem Reap and 5 mm in Battambang, with lows of 19.8 °C and 20.6 °C. March and April rate good rather than best because the mean daily high is 34.8 °C at Siem Reap and 35.7 °C at Battambang in March and rises to 35.6 °C and 36.0 °C in April. The rains arrive in May with 155 mm and 158 mm, and the wettest month is September with 248 mm at Siem Reap and 239 mm at Battambang. June to August and October rate good in both places, so the wet season here is less of an obstacle than on the coast.
For temple visits, the Angkor Temples Park ticket lists entry from 5:00 and closing at 18:30, while Koh Ker and Beng Mealea list entry from 6:00.[3] Starting at opening time puts you in the cooler hours of the day, which counts most in April, when the mean daily high is 35.6 °C at Siem Reap. The Tonle Sap lake, close to Siem Reap, changes size with the seasons: over the wet season its area increases six-fold, from 2,500 km² to 15,000 km².[4]
Mekong (Phnom Penh, Stung Treng)
Phnom Penh nights stay warm all year, with lows from 23.2 °C in January to 26.5 °C in April. It rates best from November to March, good from April to September and mixed only in October, which is its wettest month at 251 mm. Stung Treng has a heavier wet season, with 311 mm in July, 333 mm in August and 329 mm in September, so June to September rate mixed there, while November to March rate best.
The Mekong flood season typically begins in June throughout the Lower Basin and generally ends in early November in the upper reaches of the basin, later further downstream. At the end of the wet season, when the flow in the Mekong begins to drop, the flow of the Tonle Sap River switches back.[4] That reversal plays out at Phnom Penh, where the Tonle Sap River meets the Mekong. Official reporting notes that floods isolate parts of the country in the rainy season, so build slack into overland plans between June and October.[1]
Southwest coast (Kampot, Koh Rong)
Average annual rainfall is above 3,000 mm over most of the southwest coastal region, the highest figure the national ministry gives for any part of the country.[2] Our monthly data show how that rain falls: Koh Rong gets 632 mm in July and Kampot 565 mm, Kampot rates poor from July to September, and Koh Rong rates poor from May to September. By contrast, Koh Rong rates best from November to April, and Kampot rates best from November to February and good in March and April.
The shoulder months differ between the two. Kampot gets 133 mm in March and 142 mm in April, which is why it rates good rather than best, while Koh Rong receives 101 mm and 110 mm and keeps its best rating. October is mixed at both places, with 299 mm in Kampot and 276 mm on Koh Rong, and November brings the best rating back with 113 mm and 73 mm. Highs on the island stay between 29.6 °C and 32.8 °C all year. Koh Rong is reached by boat, so before booking in the wet months ask the ferry operator and your accommodation about crossings and opening dates.
Cambodia month by month
Cambodia in January
Siem ReapBattambangPhnom PenhStung TrengKampotKoh Rong
Great or good weather: Siem Reap, Battambang, Phnom Penh, Stung Treng, Kampot, and Koh Rong.
Most rain: Kampot, 25 mm.
Hottest days: Battambang, 32 °C on average.
January is the coldest month of the year, according to the national ministry.[2] All six places rate best, with lows near 20 °C inland: 19.8 °C in Siem Reap, 20.6 °C in Battambang and 19.5 °C in Stung Treng. Rain is almost absent in the north, at 2 mm in Siem Reap and 3 mm in Stung Treng, and Kampot has the most of the six at 25 mm.
Cambodia in February
Siem ReapBattambangPhnom PenhStung TrengKampotKoh Rong
Great or good weather: Siem Reap, Battambang, Phnom Penh, Stung Treng, Kampot, and Koh Rong.
Most rain: Kampot, 32 mm.
Hottest days: Battambang, 34 °C on average.
February keeps the best rating in all six places, with 5 mm of rain in Phnom Penh, 6 mm in Siem Reap and 7 mm in Stung Treng. Heat builds quickly: the mean daily high reaches 33.3 °C in Siem Reap and 34.1 °C in Battambang, one month before both drop out of the best class. For temple days in Siem Reap, the park ticket lists entry from 5:00 and closing at 18:30.[3]
Cambodia in March
Siem ReapBattambangPhnom PenhStung TrengKampotKoh Rong
Great or good weather: Phnom Penh, Stung Treng, Koh Rong, Siem Reap, Battambang, and Kampot.
Most rain: Kampot, 133 mm.
Hottest days: Battambang, 36 °C on average.
March is best in Phnom Penh, Stung Treng and Koh Rong, and good elsewhere. The reasons differ: Siem Reap (34.8 °C) and Battambang (35.7 °C) are now hot, while Kampot's 133 mm of rain costs it a rating step. Rain is still rare in the interior, with 23 mm in Siem Reap and 28 mm in Stung Treng.
Cambodia in April
Siem ReapBattambangPhnom PenhStung TrengKampotKoh Rong
Great or good weather: Koh Rong, Siem Reap, Battambang, Phnom Penh, Stung Treng, and Kampot.
Most rain: Kampot, 142 mm.
Hottest days: Battambang, 36 °C on average.
April is the hottest month of the dry season, with maximum temperatures up to about 40 °C according to the national ministry.[2] Mean daily highs in our data are 36.0 °C in Battambang, 35.6 °C in Siem Reap and 34.9 °C in Phnom Penh, while Koh Rong stays at 32.8 °C and is the only place still rated best. Khmer New Year is a three-day public holiday, listed as 14 to 16 April in the official 2026 calendar.[5]
Cambodia in May
Siem ReapBattambangPhnom PenhStung TrengKampotKoh Rong
Great or good weather: Phnom Penh and Stung Treng.
Most rain: Koh Rong, 356 mm.
Hottest days: Battambang, 35 °C on average.
The rains begin in May, and the ratings drop in the north and on the coast: mixed in Siem Reap (155 mm), Battambang (158 mm) and Kampot (279 mm), poor on Koh Rong (356 mm). Phnom Penh (160 mm) and Stung Treng (213 mm) still rate good.
Cambodia in June
Siem ReapBattambangPhnom PenhStung TrengKampotKoh Rong
Great or good weather: Siem Reap, Battambang, and Phnom Penh.
Most rain: Koh Rong, 466 mm.
Hottest days: Battambang, 34 °C on average.
June is the first month of the Mekong flood season, which typically starts in June throughout the Lower Basin.[4] Stung Treng drops to mixed at 233 mm, while Siem Reap (169 mm), Battambang (153 mm) and Phnom Penh (145 mm) still rate good. The coast is much wetter, with 340 mm in Kampot (mixed) and 466 mm on Koh Rong (poor).
Cambodia in July
Siem ReapBattambangPhnom PenhStung TrengKampotKoh Rong
Great or good weather: Siem Reap, Battambang, and Phnom Penh.
Most rain: Koh Rong, 632 mm.
Hottest days: Phnom Penh, 33 °C on average.
From the latter part of July there are often dry spells of ten to fifteen days or more inside the rainy season, which the national ministry calls the short dry season.[2] In our monthly means July is still very wet on the coast: 632 mm on Koh Rong and 565 mm in Kampot, both rated poor, and 311 mm in Stung Treng, rated mixed. Siem Reap (197 mm), Battambang (168 mm) and Phnom Penh (151 mm) rate good.
Cambodia in August
Siem ReapBattambangPhnom PenhStung TrengKampotKoh Rong
Great or good weather: Siem Reap, Battambang, and Phnom Penh.
Most rain: Kampot, 545 mm.
Hottest days: Phnom Penh, 32 °C on average.
August is the wettest month in Stung Treng at 333 mm, and the coast is wetter still, with 545 mm in Kampot and 510 mm on Koh Rong. Phnom Penh (164 mm), Siem Reap (213 mm) and Battambang (180 mm) still rate good, which makes the interior the practical choice for travel in the green season. Through the wet season the Tonle Sap lake grows from 2,500 km² to 15,000 km².[4]
Cambodia in September
Siem ReapBattambangPhnom PenhStung TrengKampotKoh Rong
Great or good weather: Phnom Penh.
Most rain: Koh Rong, 487 mm.
Hottest days: Siem Reap, 32 °C on average.
September is the wettest month in Siem Reap (248 mm) and Battambang (239 mm), and both rate mixed. Phnom Penh (205 mm) still rates good, while Stung Treng (329 mm) is mixed and Kampot (451 mm) and Koh Rong (487 mm) are poor.
Cambodia in October
Siem ReapBattambangPhnom PenhStung TrengKampotKoh Rong
Great or good weather: Siem Reap, Battambang, and Stung Treng.
Most rain: Kampot, 299 mm.
Hottest days: Phnom Penh, 32 °C on average.
The rainy season officially lasts until early October.[1] Phnom Penh has its wettest month at 251 mm and rates mixed, while Siem Reap (189 mm), Battambang (199 mm) and Stung Treng (165 mm) rate good. Kampot (299 mm) and Koh Rong (276 mm) are mixed. Pchum Ben, a three-day public holiday, fell on 10 to 12 October in 2026, so check the official calendar for the year you travel.[5]
Cambodia in November
Siem ReapBattambangPhnom PenhStung TrengKampotKoh Rong
Great or good weather: Siem Reap, Battambang, Phnom Penh, Stung Treng, Kampot, and Koh Rong.
Most rain: Kampot, 113 mm.
Hottest days: Siem Reap, 32 °C on average.
November rates best in all six places, and rain drops to 45 mm in Stung Treng, 52 mm in Battambang and 65 mm in Siem Reap. Stung Treng has the highest storm frequency of any place in any month, with a tropical storm within 200 km in 3 of 30 Novembers. The Mekong flood season generally ends in early November in the upper reaches of the basin and later further downstream.[4] The Water Festival is a three-day public holiday, listed as 23 to 25 November in the official 2026 calendar.[5]
Cambodia in December
Siem ReapBattambangPhnom PenhStung TrengKampotKoh Rong
Great or good weather: Siem Reap, Battambang, Phnom Penh, Stung Treng, Kampot, and Koh Rong.
Most rain: Kampot, 64 mm.
Hottest days: Battambang, 31 °C on average.
December keeps the best rating in all six places, with 12 mm of rain in Stung Treng, 17 mm in Siem Reap and 37 mm in Phnom Penh. Nights are cool inland, with lows of 20.3 °C in Siem Reap and 20.8 °C in Stung Treng, and Kampot is the wettest of the six at 64 mm.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to visit Cambodia?
November to February is the best time to visit Cambodia: all six places on our map rate best in those four months. March is still best in Phnom Penh, Stung Treng and Koh Rong, and Koh Rong stays best through April.
When is the rainy season in Cambodia?
The rainy season runs from May to early October and accounts for about 90% of annual precipitation.[1] On our map the wettest month is September in Siem Reap and Battambang, August in Stung Treng, October in Phnom Penh and July in Kampot and Koh Rong.
How hot does Cambodia get in April?
April is the hottest month, with maximum temperatures up to about 40 °C according to the national ministry.[2] Mean daily highs in our data are 35.6 °C in Siem Reap and 36.0 °C in Battambang.
Is Angkor worth visiting in the rainy season?
In our data June to August and October rate good in Siem Reap, while May and September are mixed. The Angkor Temples Park ticket lists entry from 5:00 and closing at 18:30.[3]
When is the best time to visit Koh Rong?
Koh Rong rates best from November to April and poor from May to September, with 632 mm of rain in July. October is mixed at 276 mm.
Does Cambodia get typhoons?
Cambodia is rarely exposed to the full force of tropical cyclones and typhoons because mountain chains surround the country.[1] In our 1995 to 2024 storm data, no place has a tropical storm within 200 km in more than 3 of 30 years in any month.
About the data
Temperatures and rain are long-term averages for 1991 to 2020 from TerraClimate, and the typhoon risk counts tropical storms from NOAA IBTrACS. The ratings use the same rules for every country. How the rating works.
Long-term averages, not a forecast. The weather in a given year can be quite different.
Travel guide: Cambodia
