Thailand’s cold snap

Even in January, Bangkok is typically warm.

Not so this year.

For the last few days, the city has been unseasonably cool. There’s no need for fans, much less air conditioning. I’ve even dug out a light windbreaker from the far reaches of my closet, as it’s been genuinely chilly in the mornings and the evenings. In Bangkok, low temperatures have dipped down to the low 60s Fahrenheit (the high teens, Celsius).¹

In Thailand’s hilly north, some districts around Chiang Rai have been declared a “cold spell disaster zone.” And a monk in Ayutthaya has died of hypothermia.

A “high pressure ridge from China” is the culprit, according to Thailand’s meteorological department. The cold snap should last until Thursday.

At this rate, I just might have to break out my ear muffs.

1. I am well aware that these are not exactly frigid temperatures. But I ask my dear readers who are currently freezing in the northeast of the US and in Europe to consider that it’s typically balmy here year-round, and one does get used to tropical temps over time. [↩]