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Tropical Weather - Sunshine & Monsoons
Cambodia has a tropical climate, similar to its neighbouring countries of Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.
The dry season is from December to April, where it is very hot with the temperature between 21°C and 35°C, and an average of 8 hours sunshine a day.
The monsoon season starts in late April, and lasts from May to November. In April and November there are traditional celebrations in Cambodia, in late April the Khmer New Year marks the start of the rainy season, and in early November the Bom Om Tuk festival and boat race takes place in Phnom Penh celebrating a natural phenomenon that occurs each year where the Tonle Sap river reverses its current due to the heavy monsoon rains and flows away from the sea, into lake Tonle Sap near Siem Reap the lake swells to many times its size and is a rich source of fish for the whole country, when the lake shoreline shrinks in the dry season the fish are concentrated in the water and make for an easier catch, the Khmer people have relied upon fishing in Lake Tonle Sap for centuries.
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The climate can be subdivided into four seasons, March-April very hot/dry, May-August very hot/wet, September-November hot/wet, December-Febuary hot/dry.
It is hot all year round, rarely below 20°C, but April is the hottest month, just before the summer rains start. It remains very hot with high humidity throughout the rainy season until around September it cools down slightly for the winter, the best time of year to visit Cambodia is November through to April during the dry season, it is also the cooler part of the year and discomfort from the heat and humidity is lessened.
The coastline to the south/southwest of Cambodia, where Sihanoukville is located, is more prone to rain than the inland areas.
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