Aviation weather in Southeast Asia

Convection every afternoon rather than once a season: towering cumulonimbus, tropical cyclones from the Pacific, low-level windshear on approach and haze that closes airports for weeks in some years.

At a glance

Main hazards Thunderstorms, Tropical cyclones, Monsoon rain, Low visibility, Low-level windshear
Most demanding season May – October
Thunderstorm season All year
Representative airports WSSS · VTBS · WIII · RPLL · WMKK
Official sources Meteorological Service Singapore · Hong Kong Observatory aviation weather

The services linked above are the authoritative source for this region. This page explains what their reports contain; it is not a substitute for an official briefing.

What these hazards mean

Thunderstorms Cumulonimbus cells carrying severe turbulence, hail, lightning and downdraughts; avoided laterally, never flown through.
Tropical cyclones Typhoons, hurricanes and cyclones close airports for days and reshape the route network for a week either side.
Monsoon rain Months of heavy rain with low ceilings, standing water on the runway and embedded convection inside an otherwise featureless layer.
Low visibility Fog, mist, haze, dust or heavy precipitation cutting visibility below the minimum for the approach in use.
Low-level windshear A sudden change of wind speed or direction near the ground, usually from a microburst or a sea breeze front, on the part of the flight with the least margin.

METAR decoder

Paste a raw observation and read it in plain language. It runs in your browser — the report never leaves your device, and nothing is stored.

Works with ICAO reports and with the North American SM / inHg variant.

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Last updated 2026-08-09 by aviationwheater.siten.co · About us

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