Meteorological Department Explains Why Winter Arrived Late in 2026, Similar Factors as in 2023 - Thairath English

Be patient a little longer. The Meteorological Department explains why winter in 2026 arrived late, comparing it to 2023 and highlighting that the factors are quite similar.

On 2 November 2026, reports stated that on 14 October 2026, the Meteorological Department predicted that Thailand's 2026 winter season would start about one week later than average, beginning around the third week of October 2026 and ending around mid-February 2027.

Most recently, on 2 Nov 2026, the Meteorological Department said, “Waiting for winter until your jacket feels neglected—why is it so late this year?” Looking back at 2023, Thailand also started winter late, officially entering the season on 14 November 2023.

The reason was that 2023 was a year with a strong El Niño phenomenon. Northern Thailand continued to experience rainfall in October, and the central and eastern regions had rain into the first half of November. Then, in the latter half of November, temperatures began to drop, becoming cool to cold, leading the Meteorological Department to declare winter on 14 November 2023.

As for 2026, the meteorological factors are quite similar to those in 2023, which may result in a similar start to the winter season. For those who have prepared their winter clothes, just hold on a bit longer and please continue to follow weather forecasts from the Meteorological Department.

In 2016, winter was officially declared on 30 October 2016.