Places to avoid in February

In February, 153 well-known destinations sit inside a hazard season: cyclone season in 18 (Kakadu, Nadi, Nosy Be and 15 more), extreme cold in 17 (Winnipeg, Ulaanbaatar, Edmonton and 14 more), monsoon in 30 (Kakadu, Yogyakarta, Sossusvlei and 27 more) and flood season in 19 (Uluru, Jakarta, Hamburg and 16 more). By the numbers, of 1,387 destinations, 127 feel like 35 °C or more in the afternoon, 220 have 18 or more rainy days, 53 have poor air and 75 sit well below freezing. 27 well-known places are at peak crowds and 6 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 February

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.

Cyclone season on

51 places

The southern-hemisphere storm season.

  1. Kakadu 🇦🇺 AustraliaCyclone season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — Systems crossing the Top End coast bring days of torrential rain and wind rather than a direct blow. · instead July40
  2. Nadi 🇫🇯 FijiCyclone season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — The South Pacific storm season, at its most active in January and February. · instead July62
  3. Nosy Be 🇲🇬 MadagascarCyclone season, 15 Dec – 31 Mar (usually) · instead July62
  4. Antananarivo 🇲🇬 MadagascarCyclone season, 15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually) · instead September63
  5. Cairns 🇦🇺 AustraliaCyclone season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — November to April is the cyclone half of the year. · instead October64
  6. Port Douglas 🇦🇺 AustraliaCyclone season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — November to April brings the rain and the cyclone risk together. · instead September65

…and 45 more, 12 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own February verdict.

Extreme cold on

44 places

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

  1. Winnipeg 🇨🇦 CanadaExtreme cold, 15 Dec – 20 Feb (usually) · instead June34
  2. Ulaanbaatar 🇲🇳 MongoliaExtreme cold, 1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually) · instead June35
  3. Edmonton 🇨🇦 CanadaExtreme cold, 1 Dec – 28 Feb — Arctic air settles over the city for stretches of a week and extreme cold warnings become routine. · instead August39
  4. Toronto 🇨🇦 CanadaExtreme cold, 15 Dec – 28 Feb (usually) · instead September42
  5. Milwaukee 🇺🇸 United StatesExtreme cold, 5 Jan – 28 Feb (usually) · instead September47
  6. Detroit 🇺🇸 United StatesExtreme cold, 10 Dec – 1 Mar (usually) — Two months of grey, freezing days with the wind coming off the lakes and a snow event most weeks. · instead September49

…and 38 more, 11 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own February verdict.

Monsoon on

43 places

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

  1. Kakadu 🇦🇺 AustraliaMonsoon, 1 Nov – 31 May (usually) · instead July40
  2. Yogyakarta 🇮🇩 IndonesiaMonsoon, 1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually) — Long afternoon storms roll off Merapi and the Prambanan open-air stage moves indoors for the season. · instead July48
  3. Sossusvlei 🇳🇦 NamibiaMonsoon, 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually) · instead July57
  4. Quito 🇪🇨 EcuadorMonsoon, 1 Oct – 31 May (usually) · instead August60
  5. Denpasar 🇮🇩 IndonesiaMonsoon, 1 Dec – 15 Mar (usually) · instead August61
  6. Nosy Be 🇲🇬 MadagascarMonsoon, 1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually) — Heavy afternoon rain, dive visibility down and a good share of the smaller hotels closed until after Easter. · instead July62

…and 37 more, 24 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own February verdict.

Flood season on

40 places

The river comes into the streets most years.

  1. Uluru 🇦🇺 AustraliaFlood season, 1 Dec – 15 Mar (usually) · instead July43
  2. Jakarta 🇮🇩 IndonesiaFlood season, 1 Jan – 28 Feb (usually) — The peak of the wet season is also when the canals back up and whole districts go under for a day or two. · instead August48
  3. Hamburg 🇩🇪 GermanyFlood season, 15 Sep – 31 Mar — The city counts its storm tide season from mid-September to the end of March. · instead August53
  4. Foz do Iguaçu 🇧🇷 BrazilFlood season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually) · instead July54
  5. Cincinnati 🇺🇸 United StatesFlood season, 1 Feb – 15 Apr (usually) · instead September56
  6. Cologne 🇩🇪 GermanyFlood season, 1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually) · instead June58

…and 34 more, 13 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own February verdict.

Winter smog on

32 places

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

  1. Warsaw 🇵🇱 PolandWinter smog, 1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually) · instead June49
  2. Kraków 🇵🇱 PolandWinter smog, 1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually) · instead June52
  3. Beijing 🇨🇳 ChinaWinter smog, 15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually) · instead April59
  4. Milan 🇮🇹 ItalyWinter smog, 15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually) · instead September66
  5. Shanghai 🇨🇳 ChinaWinter smog, 15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually) · instead October66
  6. Belgrade 🇷🇸 SerbiaWinter smog, 1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually) · instead May67

…and 26 more, 6 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own February verdict.

Smoke season on

27 places

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

  1. San Carlos de Bariloche 🇦🇷 ArgentinaSmoke season, 1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually) · instead July12
  2. Ulaanbaatar 🇲🇳 MongoliaSmoke season, 1 Nov – 31 Mar · instead June35
  3. Almaty 🇰🇿 KazakhstanSmoke season, 15 Nov – 1 Mar (usually) — Coal heating and a valley inversion pin the smoke over the city for weeks at a time once the cold sets in. · instead September47
  4. Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United StatesSmoke season, 15 Dec – 20 Feb (usually) · instead May61
  5. Bangkok 🇹🇭 ThailandSmoke season, 25 Jan – 15 Apr (usually) — Agricultural fires north and west of the city put a lid of smoke over Bangkok through the late dry season. · instead December69
  6. Sydney 🇦🇺 AustraliaSmoke season, 1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually) · instead September80

…and 21 more, 11 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own February verdict.

Dust season on

23 places

Spring dust and sandstorms; sensitive lungs stay in.

  1. Sierra Nevada 🇪🇸 SpainDust season, 15 Feb – 15 Jun (usually) · instead January54
  2. Lanzarote 🇪🇸 SpainDust season, 15 Jan – 15 Apr (usually) · instead June82
  3. Fuerteventura 🇪🇸 SpainDust season, 15 Jan – 15 Apr (usually) · instead June83
  4. Las Palmas 🇪🇸 SpainDust season, 15 Jan – 15 Apr (usually) · instead May92
  5. Abidjan 🇨🇮 Côte d'IvoireDust season, 10 Dec – 15 Feb (usually) — Abidjan sits at the far southern edge of the harmattan. · instead August64
  6. Accra 🇬🇭 GhanaDust season, 5 Dec – 10 Feb (usually) · instead August66

…and 17 more, all lesser-known. Every destination page carries its own February verdict.

Storm season on

19 places

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

  1. Svolvær 🇳🇴 NorwayStorm season, 15 Oct – 15 Mar (usually) · instead July25
  2. Ålesund 🇳🇴 NorwayStorm season, 15 Oct – 28 Feb (usually) · instead July41
  3. Dingle 🇮🇪 IrelandStorm season, 15 Oct – 28 Feb (usually) — Named lows come in off the ocean from mid-autumn and the peninsula takes them first. · instead June46
  4. Tórshavn Faroe IslandsStorm season, 1 Oct – 31 Mar (usually) · instead July53
  5. La Rochelle 🇫🇷 FranceStorm season, 1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually) · instead August55
  6. Seattle 🇺🇸 United StatesStorm season, 1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually) · instead July58

…and 13 more, 6 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own February verdict.

Avalanche season on

16 places

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

  1. Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United StatesAvalanche season, 15 Oct – 15 Jun (usually) — From mid-autumn into early summer steep snow slopes above popular trails such as Emerald Lake can slide. · instead August49
  2. Fort William 🇬🇧 United KingdomAvalanche season, 15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually) — The Lochaber forecast runs from mid-December to mid-April and covers Ben Nevis and the Aonachs. · instead May55
  3. Mestia 🇬🇪 GeorgiaAvalanche season, 15 Nov – 15 May (usually) · instead September58
  4. Kazbegi 🇬🇪 GeorgiaAvalanche season, 1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually) · instead September65
  5. Aviemore 🇬🇧 United KingdomAvalanche season, 15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually) · instead January69
  6. Berchtesgaden 🇩🇪 GermanyAvalanche season, 1 Jan – 15 Apr (usually) · instead September70

…and 10 more, 9 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own February verdict.

Extreme heat on

6 places

The weeks the city lives indoors.

  1. Uluru 🇦🇺 AustraliaExtreme heat, 1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually) · instead July43
  2. Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 ArgentinaExtreme heat, 1 Jan – 25 Feb (usually) — River-plate humidity on top of the heat, and the porteños who can afford to have gone to the coast. · instead October79
  3. Adelaide 🇦🇺 AustraliaExtreme heat, 15 Nov – 15 Mar (usually) · instead November89
  4. Alice Springs 🇦🇺 AustraliaExtreme heat, 1 Dec – 28 Feb · instead August62
  5. Asunción 🇵🇾 ParaguayExtreme heat, 1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually) · instead July62
  6. Hlane Royal National Park 🇸🇿 EswatiniExtreme heat, 1 Dec – 28 Feb · instead June69

Landslide season on

5 places

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

  1. Big Sur 🇺🇸 United StatesLandslide season, 1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually) · instead August65
  2. Blantyre 🇲🇼 MalawiLandslide season, 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually) · instead August67
  3. Tilcara 🇦🇷 ArgentinaLandslide season, 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually) · instead August70
  4. Ouro Preto 🇧🇷 BrazilLandslide season, 1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually) · instead September72
  5. San Salvador de Jujuy 🇦🇷 ArgentinaLandslide season, 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually) · instead September76

Algae & red tide on

5 places

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

  1. Boracay 🇵🇭 PhilippinesAlgae & red tide, 15 Feb – 31 May (usually) · instead April80
  2. Clearwater 🇺🇸 United StatesAlgae & red tide, 1 Aug – 28 Feb (usually) · instead April81
  3. Sarasota 🇺🇸 United StatesAlgae & red tide, 1 Sep – 1 Mar (usually) · instead March85
  4. Naples, Florida 🇺🇸 United StatesAlgae & red tide, 1 Sep – 28 Feb (usually) — Blooms of Karenia brevis drift onto this coast most often between autumn and late winter. · instead April90
  5. Tampa 🇺🇸 United StatesAlgae & red tide, 1 Sep – 28 Feb (usually) · instead February90

Rip currents & big surf on

3 places

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

  1. Vík 🇮🇸 IcelandRip currents & big surf, 15 Sep – 30 Apr (usually) — The black beach kills people. · instead July25
  2. Palomino 🇨🇴 ColombiaRip currents & big surf, 1 Jan – 31 Dec · instead January66
  3. Raglan 🇳🇿 New ZealandRip currents & big surf, 1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually) · instead February84

Out of range by the numbers

Every destination whose February 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

220 places

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

  1. Aguas Calientes 🇵🇪 Peru28 rainy days, 306 mm · instead July65
  2. Ollantaytambo 🇵🇪 Peru28 rainy days, 263 mm · instead July71
  3. Quito 🇪🇨 Ecuador28 rainy days, 311 mm · instead August60
  4. Denpasar 🇮🇩 Indonesia28 rainy days, 376 mm · instead August61
  5. Nusa Penida 🇮🇩 Indonesia28 rainy days, 376 mm · instead August63
  6. Jakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia27 rainy days, 305 mm · instead August48
  7. Arequipa 🇵🇪 Peru27 rainy days, 246 mm · instead September69
  8. Cusco 🇵🇪 Peru27 rainy days, 216 mm · instead June80

…and 212 more, 82 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own February verdict.

Too hot by the numbers

127 places

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

  1. Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia40°C afternoons · instead February62
  2. Zanzibar 🇹🇿 Tanzania39°C afternoons · instead September86
  3. Bangkok 🇹🇭 Thailand38°C afternoons · instead December69
  4. Foz do Iguaçu 🇧🇷 Brazil38°C afternoons · instead July54
  5. Khao Lak 🇹🇭 Thailand38°C afternoons · instead February91
  6. Kochi 🇮🇳 India38°C afternoons · instead January74
  7. Krabi 🇹🇭 Thailand38°C afternoons · instead February91
  8. Langkawi 🇲🇾 Malaysia38°C afternoons · instead February89

…and 119 more, 40 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own February verdict.

Too cold by the numbers

75 places

Afternoons that feel like −5 °C or below. Fine for a ski trip; not for walking a city.

  1. Churchill 🇨🇦 Canada-28°C afternoons · instead July34
  2. Ilulissat 🇬🇱 Greenland-16°C afternoons · instead July31
  3. Winnipeg 🇨🇦 Canada-15°C afternoons · instead June34
  4. Ulaanbaatar 🇲🇳 Mongolia-14°C afternoons · instead June35
  5. Leh 🇮🇳 India-12°C afternoons · instead August42
  6. Levi 🇫🇮 Finland-11°C afternoons · instead March73
  7. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 🇷🇺 Russia-11°C afternoons · instead July43
  8. Ruka 🇫🇮 Finland-11°C afternoons · instead March82

…and 67 more, 28 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own February verdict.

Bad air by the numbers

53 places

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

  1. Riyadh 🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaAQI 205, unhealthy air · instead February91
  2. Beijing 🇨🇳 ChinaAQI 170, unhealthy air · instead April59
  3. Gulmarg 🇮🇳 IndiaAQI 157, unhealthy air · instead January85
  4. Kolkata 🇮🇳 IndiaAQI 156, unhealthy air · instead January82
  5. Delhi 🇮🇳 IndiaAQI 150, poor air · instead February90
  6. Agra 🇮🇳 IndiaAQI 148, poor air · instead February92
  7. Xi'an 🇨🇳 ChinaAQI 146, poor air · instead April68
  8. Chengdu 🇨🇳 ChinaAQI 143, poor air · instead April73

…and 45 more, 14 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own February verdict.

Peak crowds

27 places

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

  1. Cairo 🇪🇬 EgyptPeak crowds — Ramadan · instead March92
  2. Goa 🇮🇳 IndiaPeak crowds — Goa Carnival · instead January92
  3. Melbourne 🇦🇺 AustraliaPeak crowds — Australian Open · instead March92
  4. Mexico City 🇲🇽 MexicoPeak crowds — the editor's peak month · instead November92
  5. Cancún 🇲🇽 MexicoPeak crowds — US spring break · instead March91
  6. Cartagena 🇨🇴 ColombiaPeak crowds — Hay Festival Cartagena · instead January91
  7. Honolulu 🇺🇸 United StatesPeak crowds — the editor's peak month · instead June91
  8. Delhi 🇮🇳 IndiaPeak crowds — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it · instead February90

…and 19 more, 19 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own February verdict.

Closed for the season

6 places

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

  1. Cusco 🇵🇪 Perusome of the town shuts for the month · instead June80
  2. Ho Chi Minh City 🇻🇳 Vietnamsome of the town shuts for the month · instead February76
  3. Santiago 🇨🇱 Chilesome of the town shuts for the month · instead November87
  4. Santorini 🇬🇷 Greecesome of the town shuts for the month · instead September69
  5. Seoul 🇰🇷 South Koreasome of the town shuts for the month · instead May59
  6. Singapore 🇸🇬 Singaporesome of the town shuts for the month · instead February69