ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Bangkok in March

Bangkok in March: 28% of days see measurable rain, 92°F average high, 35% of days historically clear (n=248, ERA5 2018–2025).

Bangkok in March is historically a poor month for sun: only 35% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 92°F). Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Bangkok page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late March

Clear-sky percentage for Bangkok in March, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period	% Clear days	Sample (n)	Avg high
Early March 1st–15th	42%	n=120	92°F
Late March 16th–end	29%	n=128	92°F
Full month average	35%	n=248	92°F

Sunshine & warmth in March

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Bangkok in March. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period	Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun)	Sample (n)
Early March 1st–15th	99%	n=120
Late March 16th–end	98%	n=128
Full month average	98%	n=248

11.0 h median sunshine per day 95% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 28% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden

Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 35%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 98%. The 63-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

Bangkok is mostly overcast in March historically: only 35% of days are clear across 8 years (n=248), avg high 92°F. Most visitors this month will see more clouds than sun.

Every month in Bangkok

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Bangkok, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month	% Clear	Sample (n)
January	69%	n=248	All destinations →
February	46%	n=226	All destinations →
March ← this page	35%	n=248	All destinations →
April	32%	n=240	All destinations →
May	10%	n=248	All destinations →
June	2%	n=240	All destinations →
July	0%	n=248	All destinations →
August	4%	n=248	All destinations →
September	2%	n=240	All destinations →
October	11%	n=248	All destinations →
November	42%	n=240	All destinations →
December	69%	n=248	All destinations →

Frequently asked

Does it rain in Bangkok in March?

Sometimes. Bangkok sees measurable rain on 28% of days in March historically (n=248 days, ERA5 2018–2025) — not frequent enough to plan around, but not negligible either.

Is Bangkok good for sun in March?

It's mixed. Bangkok in March is clear on 35% of days historically (avg high 92°F, n=248 days, ERA5 2018–2025) — the outcome varies year to year.

How Bangkok compares in March

Head-to-head clear-sky comparisons against destinations travelers plausibly weigh against Bangkok this month — same passport tier, similar flight distance, both sides from the same 8-year ERA5 record.

→ Bangkok vs Maldives in March — Maldives is 36% clear historically
→ Bangkok vs Phuket in March — Phuket is 29% clear historically

→ Bangkok live forecast — this week’s actual 7-day weather, not historical
→ Best destinations in March — all destinations ranked by March clear-sky %
→ All destinations
→ Raw data (JSON) — buckets, n, source

All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.