Plan around the monsoon
Is it monsoon in City-States?
This page groups Asia's small, fully urbanized city-states, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, and Brunei, places whose entire climate can be captured by a single city rather than a spread of regions. Hong Kong and Macau, neighbors in the Pearl River Delta, share an almost identical subtropical climate: a very mild, relatively dry winter from December to February, and a hot, muggy, rainy summer from May to September, with typhoon risk highest from June to early November. Neither city's best window falls in the driest part of the year; both are recommended instead for spring and autumn, mid-March to mid-April and mid-October to late November, when rain is rare and the sun more frequent than during winter's increasingly cloudy second half.
Bandar Seri Begawan and Singapore both run on fully equatorial rhythms instead, hot and rainy in every month without a genuine winter, though on different calendars. Brunei's capital is driest in February and March and wettest from October through January when the northeast monsoon brings the year's heaviest rain. Singapore, right at the Equator, sees its own calmer, breezier stretch from January through March, historically the only months with any real wind, and its wettest, muggiest stretch from October through December, when the northeast monsoon can bring rain nearly every day.
Frequently asked questions
Do all these city-states share the same climate?›
No. Hong Kong and Macau, both in the Pearl River Delta, share a subtropical climate with a genuine winter, while Brunei's capital and Singapore both have fully equatorial climates that stay hot and rainy year-round, on their own separate calendars.
What is the best time to visit Hong Kong or Macau?›
Mid-March to mid-April and mid-October to late November are historically the best windows for both cities, with less rain and more sun than the rest of the year.
What is the best time to visit Brunei?›
February and March are historically Brunei's driest months and the best time for a visit, while October through January, the wettest stretch, is best avoided.
What is the best time to visit Singapore?›
February is historically the single best month, with January and March also calmer and less humid than the rest of the year; October through December is historically the wettest, best avoided if possible.
Do Hong Kong and Macau get typhoons?›
Yes, both typically from June to early November, with risk highest during the hot, rainy summer months.
Does Brunei get typhoons?›
Brunei sits at the southern edge of the typhoon-affected zone, so it is generally not affected, or only marginally, even during the nominal typhoon season from May to December.
Does Singapore get cyclones?›
Very rarely, given its position right at the Equator. Tropical Storm Vamei formed nearby at the very end of 2001, an exceptionally rare event, and the city can occasionally be marginally affected by cyclones passing to the north.
Why are these places grouped separately from their regions?›
Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, and Brunei are each compact enough that a single city's climate data represents the whole place, unlike larger countries in this dataset that need multiple cities to capture real regional variation.