Meanwhile down south run 2 AC 24/7 for under 3K baht a month with all other electric use. As well have 3 days backup on batteries. I bet even a studio room in Bangkok or Chiang Mai has a higher electric bill than our 4 bedroom house entirely.

2 hours ago, BuffaloRider said:

Meanwhile down south run 2 AC 24/7 for under 3K baht a month with all other electric use. As well have 3 days backup on batteries. I bet even a studio room in Bangkok or Chiang Mai has a higher electric bill than our 4 bedroom house entirely.

presumably you have some sort of solar powered system, ? would you care to reveal what it cost ?

On 4/14/2026 at 2:53 PM, John Drake said:

I still go through the day without aircon. I don't turn it on until 10 or 11pm. If I keep moving and doing things throughout the day, the heat doesn't seem as bad. When I sit still and there is no breeze whatsoever, that is when things feel hot.

Maybe better to turn on your AC during the hottest part of the day....

And then, use only a fan, after about 10 or 11pm, when the outside air is cooler.

Still, I respect your right to do the opposite of what seems, to most of us, as logical.

I only been here in Isan (Roi-Et) since 2022. But this year has not been the hottest. 2024 was the hottest (since El Niño was already set in April). This year a really strong el Niño is currently developing... but it has not peak yet. I mean we had rain (like pouring down Thunderstorms) here in March... I've never seen that (it could happen in La Niña). Afterwards, the heat finally came. So far we have reach 40°C. In 2024 we had 42-43°C (Actual shade temperature 6 ft off the ground) locally. We still have 15 days of April before the winds shift, coming from the southwest (Instead of Northeast) and the monsoon sets in bringing cleaner humid maritime air that will produce thunderstorms and cool things off. Will the all time record (45.4°C record set in the province of Tak) fall in the remaining 15 days? I don't think so. This intense heat is what creates the monsoon as the cooler denser humid air moves inland to replace the rising dry air inland and that lifting cause Thunderstorms. Maybe in 2027 if the strong El Niño holds... you could see a new record high in April next year.

1 hour ago, Bday Prang said:

presumably you have some sort of solar powered system, ? would you care to reveal what it cost ?

I have 4 AC but 2 run 24/7 almost 365 days. I pay between 3-5K now being the worst. In my experience, if you have 12,000 BTU units on a larger room they just stay on full blast and waste more than if you had a 24,000 BTU unit that's working more efficiently, especially at night when the big unit barely turn on. During peak heating it could pull 5000 watts though.

30 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Maybe better to turn on your AC during the hottest part of the day....

And then, use only a fan, after about 10 or 11pm, when the outside air is cooler.

Still, I respect your right to do the opposite of what seems, to most of us, as logical.

Humidity is lower during the day. Humidity is the killer. If the humidity is dangerous during the day (it was only 37 percent this afternoon), then I'll use the a/c. Trying to lay down in a hot, humid, wet, clingy bed is hellish.

6 hours ago, superal said:

Today Pattaya and Rayong forecasts are only 32 c , that's nearly 10 degrees cooler than Issan

The official (weather station) max reading in Naklua today was 35 °C. The room I set up as a gym reached 36.7 °C. It was hotter than yesterday. The nightly minimums tend to be several degrees lower inland, too, whereas in Pattaya the low forecast is 29 °C. In Bangkok, the lows are 29 - 30 °C.

In Issan

23 hours ago, nauseus said:

It's a bit early to start talking about rain.

You missed the context of my reply. The member was suggesting that 2026 is not as hot as 2015/2016, so obviously, it's too early to compare the whole year of 2026 to 2015/2016. The rain comment was an aside, saying that the rain, if it comes, it will be welcome, and that last year was the wettest I can remember, with a lot of rain in April.

2 hours ago, John Drake said:

Humidity is lower during the day.

Quite so.

RH decreases when one heats a gas in an open system.

But, what about Absolute Humidity?

3 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

But, what about Absolute Humidity?

Who cares?

On 4/14/2026 at 10:45 PM, Liquorice said:

This year the temperatures really depends where you live.

The North and NE of Thailand have taken the brunt of the hot weather, whilst it's been much cooler down south.
41C today in the NE, 34C Pattaya, 28C Phuket.

Thais have been advised to plant rice crops mid May, rather than the usual mid April due to expected limited rainfall.
Thai farmers are expecting a drought this year.

Bangkok, 37 - 39 C. Much cooler? Night temperatures are higher, at 29-30 °C, which raises the mean 24-hour temperature.

1 hour ago, JensenZ said:

You missed the context of my reply. The member was suggesting that 2026 is not as hot as 2015/2016, so obviously, it's too early to compare the whole year of 2026 to 2015/2016. The rain comment was an aside, saying that the rain, if it comes, it will be welcome, and that last year was the wettest I can remember, with a lot of rain in April.

Nothing missed at all, old chap.

By me, at least.

16 hours ago, superal said:

Today Pattaya and Rayong forecasts are only 32 c , that's nearly 10 degrees cooler than Issan

I always guess that must be for the beach...... !

I am but a few km inland in Pattaya and wish it were maxing out at 32 degC!

On 4/14/2026 at 1:33 PM, superal said:

In my 15 years in Isan Thailand this month has to be the hottest ever with in the shade temperatures regularly hitting 42 c along with a strong breeze that doesn't help . Now today I have read that Thailand may suffer from a super El Nino weather starting June to the end of the year . This will cause reduced rainfall, droughts and water and crop shortages in Asia including Thailand and India where the monsoons may not happen . I hope the super El Nino doesn't occur . Its keeping me house bound in an air-con room .

A fall in temperatures and maybe rain/hail , could be here this weekend.

El Niño hasn’t started. I agree, it’s hot, but this weather trend hasn’t begun.

Take a look:

https://www.perplexity.ai/search/what-is-the-status-of-this-yea-KITlVb1eRlumhqQ7dTVsLQ

On 4/14/2026 at 2:37 PM, MIke B Bad said:

Purely anecdotal......but it seems brutal out there compared to previous years.

I've got two 18,000 BTU units running flat out in our lounge/diner.......I'm happy to pay rather than suffer.

The weather has changed over the years. Up until about 10 years ago we would go from Nov until about May without any rain whatsoever. The temperature would rise steadily from late Feb and regularly into the 40s in April.

In recent years the cooler period has become a lot longer, this last winter in particular. Also we have has started to get some rain about Feb, this year even torrential rather than the usual showers. I suspect the unpredictability will only increase.

We don't have mains water so rain during the dry season is a bit of a bonus.

1 hour ago, RMK54 said:

El Niño hasn’t started. I agree, it’s hot, but this weather trend hasn’t begun.

Take a look:

https://www.perplexity.ai/search/what-is-the-status-of-this-yea-KITlVb1eRlumhqQ7dTVsLQ

Yes I know and I did say that it might start in June

On 4/15/2026 at 8:25 PM, ronnie50 said:

It might be the hottest. I think I read where the Thai Met said this summer could hit 60 in some spots - I've never encountered that, but I did live through 50+ in Cyprus one summer. But 40 - 45 is not unusual for parts of Thailand in March-May.

The record temperature for Thailand is 45.4 c in the shade . Out of the shade in full sun light the temp; can be anything from 50---60 c and not forgetting the very high U.V. index which just lately has been extreme at index 11 .That can bring serious harm to exposed and unprotected skin and eyes .

2 hours ago, sandyf said:

The weather has changed over the years. Up until about 10 years ago we would go from Nov until about May without any rain whatsoever. The temperature would rise steadily from late Feb and regularly into the 40s in April.

In recent years the cooler period has become a lot longer, this last winter in particular. Also we have has started to get some rain about Feb, this year even torrential rather than the usual showers. I suspect the unpredictability will only increase.

We don't have mains water so rain during the dry season is a bit of a bonus.

We run off the village aquifer that provides a thin slurry of mud rather than water......but there is a huge dam nearby nearing completion.....hoping we will benefit from that.

My recollection of where we are re: temps is 31/32 in the winter, 37/38 in the summer. That seems to have shifted to 34/35 and 40/41.

It's already raining in Isan... so it will cool off at the expense of way more humidity.

21 hours ago, MIke B Bad said:

We run off the village aquifer that provides a thin slurry of mud rather than water......but there is a huge dam nearby nearing completion.....hoping we will benefit from that.

My recollection of where we are re: temps is 31/32 in the winter, 37/38 in the summer. That seems to have shifted to 34/35 and 40/41.

We collect rain water and store it for the dry season. Some years ago they brought mains water nearby but I didn't have it connected, if we get pushed just bring in a bowser. Also have a well for utility water.

Over the winter we are usually 19 - 24 overnight with daytime about 25 - 30. This year almost 3 months of the cooler temps. Currently around 36/37 daytime.

On 4/15/2026 at 8:20 AM, wil iam not said:

Can you REALLY tell the difference between 30 & 31, or any other 1 degree difference?

I doubt it.

Yes, I can tell the difference, but I need to factor in the humidity.

On 4/17/2026 at 3:47 PM, JGon said:

It's already raining in Isan... so it will cool off at the expense of way more humidity.

isan is quite a large area I can assure you it is not raining everywhere,

On 4/16/2026 at 10:18 AM, Rockyroad said:

Move to the beaches and have a swim.

or simply walk to the bathroom and take a bath / shower

7 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

isan is quite a large area I can assure you it is not raining everywhere,

It is... but we just had a pretty good downpour. Feels great.

3 hours ago, JGon said:

It is... but we just had a pretty good downpour. Feels great.

Cue Gene Kelly...

14 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

or simply walk to the bathroom and take a bath / shower

Water is a bit on the warm side!

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Water is a bit on the warm side!

Ditto, and don't think we turned on the shower water heater in a long time. And that's city water, not stored water. 150 meter line, about 1/2 meter under ground, rural stone soi, and warms up easily.

Couple weeks ago, overcast for 2 days and it chilled up noticably. No cold showers here.

I think we're @ 20 + days over 100* in Kanchanaburi and the 14 day calls for 14 days over 100*

This is hot like Death Valley except it doesn't cool down at night much, its just like Louisiana in that sense.

We don't mind being out at all but in our home, 2 AC's on and comfortable.
I pay as much for electricity as I do for rent but I'm good with it.

A little hot weather music for your enjoyment.... (Love is Like a) Heat Wave by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. A superb Holland-Dozier-Holland composition. Isolated vocals really helps you appreciate how intricate the backup vocals are particularly towards the end of the song when each singer has her own individual part. A true masterpiece. Ranked #12 on Billboard's list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs.

Edited May 7May 7 by Gecko123

Summer Song