Places to avoid in August

In August, 382 well-known destinations sit inside a hazard season: extreme heat in 82 (Dubai, Doha, Merzouga and 79 more), monsoon in 80 (Telluride, Kolkata, Phoenix and 77 more), hurricane season in 63 (Everglades National Park, Houston, Orlando and 60 more) and smoke season in 52 (Big Sky, Park City, Whistler and 49 more). By the numbers, of 1,387 destinations, 251 feel like 35 °C or more in the afternoon, 442 have 18 or more rainy days and 8 have poor air. 24 well-known places are at peak crowds and 7 are partly closed for the season.

Not a forecast: these are the seasons in which the risk exists, and the climate normals for the month. Most weeks pass quietly; the numbers say how often they do not.

Hazard seasons on in August

Curated, sourced windows — hurricane, typhoon and cyclone seasons, the monsoon, smoke, floods, smog. Well-known places first, the month's lowest scores at the top.

Extreme heat on

141 places

The weeks the city lives indoors.

  1. Dubai 🇦🇪 United Arab EmiratesExtreme heat, 15 May – 30 Sep (usually) · instead January24
  2. Doha 🇶🇦 QatarExtreme heat, 1 Jun – 20 Sep (usually) · instead January27
  3. Merzouga 🇲🇦 MoroccoExtreme heat, 1 Jun – 5 Sep (usually) · instead February28
  4. Riyadh 🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaExtreme heat, 1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually) — Dry heat with nothing to break it, and a city built to be driven through rather than walked. · instead February29
  5. Abu Dhabi 🇦🇪 United Arab EmiratesExtreme heat, 15 May – 30 Sep (usually) · instead January30
  6. AlUla 🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaExtreme heat, 1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually) — Visits move to the first hour after sunrise and to the evening; the middle of the day is spent indoors. · instead February31

…and 135 more, 76 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own August verdict.

Monsoon on

105 places

The wet season proper — heavy, daily, and the reason prices fall.

  1. Telluride 🇺🇸 United StatesMonsoon, 5 Jul – 5 Sep (usually) · instead March14
  2. Kolkata 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon, 10 Jun – 25 Sep (usually) · instead January34
  3. Phoenix 🇺🇸 United StatesMonsoon, 15 Jun – 30 Sep · instead March34
  4. Vientiane 🇱🇦 LaosMonsoon, 15 May – 15 Oct (usually) — The rain clears the smoke out and the Mekong comes up from a sandbank to a real river. · instead December38
  5. Yangon 🇲🇲 MyanmarMonsoon, 20 May – 15 Oct (usually) — Yangon takes one of the heaviest monsoons in the region and it rains for days at a time rather than in bursts. · instead January38
  6. Luang Prabang 🇱🇦 LaosMonsoon, 15 May – 15 Oct (usually) · instead December39

…and 99 more, 74 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own August verdict.

Hurricane season on

104 places

Statistically quiet most weeks, occasionally catastrophic.

  1. Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United StatesHurricane season, 1 Jun – 30 Nov · instead January48
  2. Houston 🇺🇸 United StatesHurricane season, 1 Jun – 30 Nov — The risk concentrates from mid-August into September. · instead March48
  3. Orlando 🇺🇸 United StatesHurricane season, 1 Jun – 30 Nov · instead February49
  4. New Orleans 🇺🇸 United StatesHurricane season, 1 Jun – 30 Nov — The Gulf coast's exposure peaks from mid-August into September. · instead March52
  5. Valladolid 🇲🇽 MexicoHurricane season, 1 Jun – 30 Nov — The Atlantic season runs June to November. · instead January52
  6. Jacksonville 🇺🇸 United StatesHurricane season, 1 Jun – 30 Nov · instead November53

…and 98 more, 57 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own August verdict.

Smoke season on

73 places

Burning fields or forests; the air, not the weather, is the problem.

  1. Big Sky 🇺🇸 United StatesSmoke season, 15 Jul – 30 Sep (usually) — Most Augusts bring some smoke into the Gallatin Canyon from fires in Montana, Idaho and further west. · instead February12
  2. Park City 🇺🇸 United StatesSmoke season, 15 Jul – 20 Sep (usually) · instead January12
  3. Whistler 🇨🇦 CanadaSmoke season, 20 Jul – 10 Sep (usually) · instead February12
  4. Jackson 🇺🇸 United StatesSmoke season, 15 Jul – 15 Sep (usually) · instead February14
  5. Revelstoke 🇨🇦 CanadaSmoke season, 15 Jul – 15 Sep (usually) · instead February14
  6. Sun Valley 🇺🇸 United StatesSmoke season, 20 Jul – 15 Sep (usually) · instead February14

…and 67 more, 46 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own August verdict.

Typhoon season on

60 places

A system a summer stops the trains for a day; it rarely ruins a week.

  1. Hanoi 🇻🇳 VietnamTyphoon season, 1 Jun – 15 Oct (usually) · instead December34
  2. Shenzhen 🇨🇳 ChinaTyphoon season, 1 Jul – 30 Sep (usually) · instead December37
  3. Hong Kong 🇭🇰 Hong KongTyphoon season, 1 May – 30 Nov — Tropical cyclones can reach the city from May, with July to September the likeliest. · instead December38
  4. Macau 🇲🇴 MacaoTyphoon season, 1 Jul – 30 Sep (usually) — Signal eight closes the casinos, the ferries to Hong Kong and the bridge to the airport for the day. · instead December38
  5. Guangzhou 🇨🇳 ChinaTyphoon season, 1 Jul – 30 Sep (usually) · instead December41
  6. Manila 🇵🇭 PhilippinesTyphoon season, 1 Jun – 30 Nov (usually) · instead February46

…and 54 more, 29 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own August verdict.

Flood season on

37 places

The river comes into the streets most years.

  1. Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United StatesFlood season, 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually) — Summer storms drop a season's rain in an hour and wash out the dirt roads and the washes people park in. · instead March35
  2. Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United StatesFlood season, 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually) · instead March37
  3. Varanasi 🇮🇳 IndiaFlood season, 25 Jul – 15 Sep (usually) · instead December37
  4. Las Vegas 🇺🇸 United StatesFlood season, 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually) · instead March40
  5. Mumbai 🇮🇳 IndiaFlood season, 15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually) · instead January41
  6. Moab 🇺🇸 United StatesFlood season, 10 Jul – 15 Sep (usually) · instead April43

…and 31 more, 6 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own August verdict.

Sargassum season on

24 places

The months the seaweed comes ashore on Caribbean and Gulf beaches.

  1. San Juan 🇵🇷 Puerto RicoSargassum season, 1 Apr – 31 Aug (usually) · instead January64
  2. Placencia 🇧🇿 BelizeSargassum season, 1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually) — The long east-facing beach collects weed through the summer and the hotels rake their own stretch. · instead March71
  3. San Andrés 🇨🇴 ColombiaSargassum season, 1 Apr – 31 Aug (usually) · instead March72
  4. Fort Lauderdale 🇺🇸 United StatesSargassum season, 15 Apr – 30 Sep (usually) · instead March73
  5. Caye Caulker 🇧🇿 BelizeSargassum season, 1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually) — The east shore and the Split collect weed through the summer and crews rake it at dawn. · instead March76
  6. Montego Bay 🇯🇲 JamaicaSargassum season, 1 May – 30 Sep (usually) · instead January77

…and 18 more, 15 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own August verdict.

Landslide season on

17 places

The hill roads slip and shut for days; getting there, not being there, is the problem.

  1. Rishikesh 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslide season, 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually) · instead December43
  2. Kathmandu 🇳🇵 NepalLandslide season, 15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually) · instead November45
  3. Kasol 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslide season, 25 Jun – 10 Sep (usually) · instead October57
  4. Darjeeling 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslide season, 15 Jun – 20 Sep (usually) · instead November66
  5. Lake Atitlán 🇬🇹 GuatemalaLandslide season, 1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually) · instead January67
  6. Auli 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslide season, 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually) — The highway up from Rishikesh is the only way in and it loses sections most weeks in these months. · instead January13

…and 11 more, all lesser-known. Every destination page carries its own August verdict.

Storm season on

13 places

Tornadoes, derechos, hail — the afternoons to watch the sky.

  1. Aspen 🇺🇸 United StatesStorm season, 5 Jul – 5 Sep (usually) — Midsummer pulls moisture up the Rockies and builds thunderheads over the peaks most afternoons. · instead January14
  2. Sarasota 🇺🇸 United StatesStorm season, 1 Jun – 30 Sep · instead March68
  3. Denver 🇺🇸 United StatesStorm season, 5 Jul – 5 Sep (usually) — Moisture pulled up from the southwest sets off thunderstorms most afternoons in high summer. · instead September84
  4. Mesa Verde National Park 🇺🇸 United StatesStorm season, 5 Jul – 10 Sep (usually) — Afternoon thunderstorms build over the mesa most days from early July. · instead May84
  5. Bryce Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United StatesStorm season, 10 Jul – 10 Sep (usually) — Thunderstorms build over the plateau most summer afternoons and the rim is the highest thing for miles. · instead September90
  6. Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United StatesStorm season, 5 Jul – 5 Sep (usually) · instead August94

…and 7 more, all lesser-known. Every destination page carries its own August verdict.

Dust season on

10 places

Spring dust and sandstorms; sensitive lungs stay in.

  1. Doha 🇶🇦 QatarDust season, 15 May – 15 Aug (usually) · instead January27
  2. Phoenix 🇺🇸 United StatesDust season, 1 Jul – 10 Sep (usually) · instead March34
  3. Marrakesh 🇲🇦 MoroccoDust season, 15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually) · instead March46
  4. Kagoshima 🇯🇵 JapanDust season, 15 May – 30 Sep (usually) · instead November52
  5. Bukhara 🇺🇿 UzbekistanDust season, 15 Mar – 31 Aug (usually) · instead April72
  6. Cusco 🇵🇪 PeruDust season, 1 May – 30 Sep (usually) — Bright still days, hard frost at night at 3,400 metres, and dust on the trails by August. · instead June93

…and 4 more, 2 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own August verdict.

Rip currents & big surf on

7 places

Red flags for weeks at a time; the calm-looking water is the one that pulls people out.

  1. Goa 🇮🇳 IndiaRip currents & big surf, 1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually) · instead January53
  2. Khao Lak 🇹🇭 ThailandRip currents & big surf, 15 May – 31 Oct (usually) — Rip currents on this stretch of coast are the real risk, and the red flags go up for weeks at a time. · instead February60
  3. Phuket 🇹🇭 ThailandRip currents & big surf, 15 May – 31 Oct (usually) · instead February65
  4. Krabi 🇹🇭 ThailandRip currents & big surf, 15 May – 15 Oct (usually) · instead February67
  5. Destin 🇺🇸 United StatesRip currents & big surf, 1 Mar – 31 Oct · instead May76
  6. Palomino 🇨🇴 ColombiaRip currents & big surf, 1 Jan – 31 Dec · instead January65

…and 1 more, all lesser-known. Every destination page carries its own August verdict.

Extreme cold on

6 places

The weeks the city stops going outside — dzud, ice storms, minus thirty.

  1. Cradle Mountain 🇦🇺 AustraliaExtreme cold, 1 Jan – 31 Dec — Snow falls on this plateau in every month of the year and the summit track can be a whiteout in January. · instead January49
  2. Tongariro 🇳🇿 New ZealandExtreme cold, 1 May – 31 Oct (usually) — From May to October the Crossing is an alpine route: ice axe, crampons and the skills to use them, or a guide. · instead February64
  3. Uluru 🇦🇺 AustraliaExtreme cold, 1 Jun – 15 Aug (usually) · instead July88
  4. Uyuni 🇧🇴 BoliviaExtreme cold, 1 Jun – 31 Aug — Midwinter nights on the salt and at the lagoon refuges go far below freezing with no heating worth the name. · instead November79
  5. Potosí 🇧🇴 BoliviaExtreme cold, 1 Jun – 15 Aug (usually) · instead October81
  6. Puno 🇵🇪 PeruExtreme cold, 1 Jun – 15 Aug (usually) · instead August83

Algae & red tide on

6 places

Blooms that close beaches and clear the water of fish for a few weeks; not the Caribbean weed.

  1. Austin 🇺🇸 United StatesAlgae & red tide, 15 May – 31 Oct (usually) — The city posts warnings for toxic cyanobacteria on Lady Bird Lake through the warm months. · instead March47
  2. Clearwater 🇺🇸 United StatesAlgae & red tide, 1 Aug – 28 Feb (usually) · instead April74
  3. Pensacola 🇺🇸 United StatesAlgae & red tide, 1 Aug – 15 Dec (usually) · instead May74
  4. Qingdao 🇨🇳 ChinaAlgae & red tide, 20 May – 15 Aug (usually) · instead September74
  5. Sopot 🇵🇱 PolandAlgae & red tide, 5 Jul – 31 Aug (usually) · instead August88
  6. Rimini 🇮🇹 ItalyAlgae & red tide, 15 Jun – 31 Aug (usually) · instead June90

Winter smog on

3 places

Coal smoke and a valley inversion; the air, not the cold, is the problem.

  1. Jakarta 🇮🇩 IndonesiaWinter smog, 15 Jun – 15 Oct (usually) · instead August70
  2. Johannesburg 🇿🇦 South AfricaWinter smog, 1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually) · instead August91
  3. Pretoria 🇿🇦 South AfricaWinter smog, 1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually) · instead August93

Avalanche season on

3 places

Backcountry and passes on forecast; the weeks the road closes after a dump.

  1. Aoraki Mount Cook 🇳🇿 New ZealandAvalanche season, 1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually) — The regional advisory runs through winter and into spring. · instead February61
  2. Te Anau 🇳🇿 New ZealandAvalanche season, 1 May – 30 Nov (usually) · instead January72
  3. Taupo 🇳🇿 New ZealandAvalanche season, 1 May – 31 Oct · instead January63

Cyclone season on

1 place

The southern-hemisphere storm season.

  1. Muscat 🇴🇲 OmanCyclone season, 15 May – 15 Nov (usually) — Two risk windows, before and after the Indian monsoon, and most years pass without one. · instead January53

Out of range by the numbers

Every destination whose August normals cross a line the comfort score will not forgive: 18 or more rainy days, afternoons that feel like 35 °C, air in the poor band, or well below freezing. Worst first.

Too wet by the numbers

442 places

Eighteen or more rainy days, or a soaked month by volume — the real rainy season, not afternoon showers.

  1. Jacó 🇨🇷 Costa Rica31 rainy days, 754 mm · instead February59
  2. Manang 🇳🇵 Nepal31 rainy days, 498 mm · instead November67
  3. Darjeeling 🇮🇳 India31 rainy days, 691 mm · instead November66
  4. Boquete 🇵🇦 Panama31 rainy days, 387 mm · instead February59
  5. Kathmandu 🇳🇵 Nepal31 rainy days, 650 mm · instead November45
  6. Mumbai 🇮🇳 India31 rainy days, 519 mm · instead January41
  7. Yangon 🇲🇲 Myanmar31 rainy days, 505 mm · instead January38
  8. Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama30 rainy days, 265 mm · instead February50

…and 434 more, 208 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own August verdict.

Too hot by the numbers

251 places

Afternoons that feel like 35 °C or more, or heat the humidity turns sticky. A dry, sunny month cannot average this away.

  1. Ras Al Khaimah 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates48°C afternoons · instead November68
  2. Doha 🇶🇦 Qatar47°C afternoons · instead January27
  3. Dubai 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates47°C afternoons · instead January24
  4. Abu Dhabi 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates46°C afternoons · instead January30
  5. Nizwa 🇴🇲 Oman44°C afternoons · instead January34
  6. Chongqing 🇨🇳 China43°C afternoons · instead March44
  7. Phoenix 🇺🇸 United States43°C afternoons · instead March34
  8. Jeddah 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia42°C afternoons · instead January86

…and 243 more, 117 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own August verdict.

Bad air by the numbers

8 places

A monthly mean air-quality index in the poor or unhealthy bands.

  1. Taghazout 🇲🇦 MoroccoAQI 110, poor air · instead July93
  2. Santiago 🇨🇱 ChileAQI 109, poor air · instead November74
  3. Laayoune Western SaharaAQI 425, unhealthy air · instead March71
  4. Dakhla Western SaharaAQI 195, unhealthy air · instead October87
  5. Ürümqi 🇨🇳 ChinaAQI 180, unhealthy air · instead September81
  6. Hotan 🇨🇳 ChinaAQI 171, unhealthy air · instead April77
  7. Salalah 🇴🇲 OmanAQI 161, unhealthy air · instead January91
  8. Bandung 🇮🇩 IndonesiaAQI 142, poor air · instead July75

Peak crowds

24 places

The editor's peak month for the place: full, expensive, and booked well ahead.

  1. Tenerife 🇪🇸 SpainPeak crowds — Virgin of Candelaria pilgrimage · instead June95
  2. Nairobi 🇰🇪 KenyaPeak crowds — Safari high season · instead August94
  3. Vancouver 🇨🇦 CanadaPeak crowds — The PNE fair · instead July94
  4. Cusco 🇵🇪 PeruPeak crowds — Andean dry season · instead June93
  5. Honolulu 🇺🇸 United StatesPeak crowds — Summer break in United States · instead June93
  6. London 🇬🇧 United KingdomPeak crowds — Notting Hill Carnival · instead July93
  7. Santorini 🇬🇷 GreecePeak crowds — Cruise passenger levy · instead September93
  8. Zanzibar 🇹🇿 TanzaniaPeak crowds — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it · instead September92

…and 16 more, 16 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own August verdict.

Closed for the season

7 places

Hotels, lifts, ferries or the sights themselves shut for the month.

  1. Athens 🇬🇷 Greecesome of the town shuts for the month · instead October78
  2. Barcelona 🇪🇸 Spainsome of the town shuts for the month · instead May77
  3. Lisbon 🇵🇹 Portugalsome of the town shuts for the month · instead May86
  4. Marrakesh 🇲🇦 Moroccosome of the town shuts for the month · instead March46
  5. Paris 🇫🇷 Francesome of the town shuts for the month · instead June90
  6. Phuket 🇹🇭 Thailandsome of the town shuts for the month · instead February65
  7. Rome 🇮🇹 Italysome of the town shuts for the month · instead May77