Phnom Penh climate
Phnom Penh (Cambodia) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 28 °C83 °F, and about 1,242 mm49 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Phnom Penh climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3493 | 2271 | 2882 | 160.6 |
| Feb | 3697 | 2374 | 3085 | 110.4 |
| Mar | 3799 | 2577 | 3188 | 301.2 |
| Apr | 3698 | 2679 | 3188 | 622.4 |
| May | 3493 | 2578 | 2985 | 1295.1 |
| Jun | 3189 | 2476 | 2882 | 1907.5 |
| Jul | 3187 | 2475 | 2781 | 1636.4 |
| Aug | 3087 | 2475 | 2781 | 1676.6 |
| Sep | 3086 | 2475 | 2781 | 1907.5 |
| Oct | 3086 | 2475 | 2780 | 1686.6 |
| Nov | 3187 | 2373 | 2780 | 893.5 |
| Dec | 3289 | 2271 | 2780 | 281.1 |
| Year | 3799 | 2271 | 2883 | 1,24249 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61% | 51% | 5.2 | 11:31 |
| Feb | 53% | 46% | 5.6 | 11:45 |
| Mar | 54% | 56% | 5.6 | 12:02 |
| Apr | 60% | 67% | 5.7 | 12:22 |
| May | 74% | 83% | 5.6 | 12:39 |
| Jun | 82% | 85% | 5.3 | 12:48 |
| Jul | 84% | 88% | 5.0 | 12:44 |
| Aug | 85% | 90% | 4.9 | 12:30 |
| Sep | 86% | 90% | 4.8 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 86% | 81% | 4.9 | 11:51 |
| Nov | 82% | 71% | 5.0 | 11:35 |
| Dec | 71% | 63% | 5.1 | 11:27 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Phnom Penh is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 36 °C98 °F and a low of 26 °C79 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 32 °C89 °F and lows 22 °C71 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 4.5 °C8.2 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,242 mm49 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is August–October, which brings 42% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January and February. The wettest month is September (190 mm7.5 in), the driest is February (11 mm0.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 53% in February to 86% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 46%) are typical of February. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (3 mph) in October to 9 km/h (6 mph) in August. Daylight lasts from about 11.4 hours in December to 12.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Phnom Penh
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December: average highs of 32 °C89 °F to 32 °C89 °F with 28 mm1.1 in to 28 mm1.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is June, which is hot, with average highs of 31 °C89 °F, very wet (190 mm7.5 in) and humid (82% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
Phnom Penh weather by month
- January34 °C93 °F / 22 °C71 °F
- February36 °C97 °F / 23 °C74 °F
- March37 °C99 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- April36 °C98 °F / 26 °C79 °F
- May34 °C93 °F / 25 °C78 °F
- June31 °C89 °F / 24 °C76 °F
- July31 °C87 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- August30 °C87 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- September30 °C86 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- October30 °C86 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- November31 °C87 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- December32 °C89 °F / 22 °C71 °F
What to pack for Phnom Penh
- Wetter months (May–October) — highs 3086 to 34 °C93 °F, lows 2475 to 25 °C78 °F, about 168 mm6.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (November–April) — highs 3187 to 37 °C99 °F, lows 2271 to 26 °C79 °F, about 39 mm1.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Phnom Penh compares
Compared with Ho Chi Minh City, about 204 km to the southeast, Phnom Penh is on average 0.5 °C0.8 °F warmer and receives 10% less precipitation (1,242 mm49 in vs 1,373 mm54 in). The difference is largest in February (1.4 °C2.5 °F warmer).
Of the 4 places in Cambodia covered by World Climates, Phnom Penh is the warmest by annual mean temperature and the 4th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Cambodia climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Tân Châu (Vietnam, Aw), Tịnh Biên (Vietnam, Aw) and Hồng Ngự (Vietnam, Aw).
Nearby places
- Takeo 65 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,287 mm51 in
- Tân Châu 92 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,287 mm51 in
- Hồng Ngự 97 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,199 mm47 in
- Tịnh Biên 107 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,355 mm53 in
- Hòa Thành 136 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,234 mm49 in
- Hà Tiên 139 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,996 mm79 in
- Long Xuyên 143 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,265 mm50 in
- Trảng Bàng 168 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,300 mm51 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Phnom Penh?
April is the warmest month in Phnom Penh, with an average high of 36 °C (98 °F) and an average low of 26 °C (79 °F).
What is the coldest month in Phnom Penh?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 32 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (71 °F).
When does it rain the most in Phnom Penh?
September is the wettest month with about 190 mm (7.5 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 11 mm (0.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Phnom Penh?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.