It's that time of year when you never know what will happen next. Weather forecasts often tend to be rather uniform saying things like "partly cloudy" and "chance of a thunderstorm", which is surely meteorologist-speak for "er...haven't a clue". There is always the chance of a thunderstorm - for heavens sakes we are in the tropics, but that does not mean continual rain. My take on the low season is that you get more sun than rain and it's a nice time to come to Phuket.

Yesterday was typically changeable. I stopped at Chalong Jetty on the way to Karon beach. It was a beautiful morning - see photos below. By late morning, clouds gathered and we had a 30 minute downpour and some stiff breezes. Divers coming back from Racha Yai island reported 8 foot waves...




Today is once again a really very nice day - sunny and warm, with a slight cooling breeze, the kind of day you were glad you listened to Jamie and came to Phuket in the low season!

The last few days have been "mostly dry", but with rain lurking around the corner and a few stiff breezes blowing. Nothing remarkable, nothing bad enough to ruin your holiday, but not exactly sunbathing weather either. We did go to the pool on Saturday and despite only patchy sunshine, my shoulders gained some colour. What rain has fallen has been very isolated. Yesterday we had a heavy 30 minute shower around 5pm, but at home (10km away as the crow flies) there was no rain. As I rode home on my valiant steed, there were dark clouds around, but no pitter patter raindrops spoiled my journey.



Today the sky was very dark early morning and I decided not to risk a bike ride, so my wife dropped me here after taking our daughter to school, and she'll pick me up later. Of course, not a drop of rain has fallen today. Sod's Law, you can call it. I call it "better safe than sorry".

As predicted right here on Jamie's Phuket Weather...today has been a glorious sunny day with light winds, ideal for diving or anything else you may fancy. The bad weather of 2 days ago forgotten, melted away by the rays of the sun. Yesterday was not as bad as predicted, in fact there were a few patches of blue sky in the afternoon, but the morning was still wet and windy, so those divers who had trips cancelled and went today instead will be feeling quite happy about it!

I took a walk on Karon Beach this morning... There were still some quite big waves on the beach, but nothing like 2 days ago, and out at sea no sign of whitecaps. if you are in Phuket, take a walk on the beach before about 9am. No crowds, not too hot, fresh ocean breezes...

After all that sunshine, there had to be some rain sometime! Saturday was the last of the sunny days. Sunday was not too bad, rather cool and grey, but customers at Sunrise Divers said it was sunny at Racha Yai island where they had been diving, about 20km south of Phuket. Yesterday things started to get a little bouncy on the ocean in the afternoon, and by the evening dark clouds were rolling in over the western shores. Had some heavy rain and strong wind for a while in the night.

This morning started wet and windy, and I was thinking "glad I'm not out diving today". A very good day for working in an office. By mid morning it was still wet and windy here in Karon Beach, Phuket. The rain would stopped for a while around lunchtime, and I dashed down to the beach and take some photos of the sea conditions.

 



The forecast is for more of the same tomorrow and some dive boats have decided that discretion is the better part of valour, in other words "safety first". No trips tomorrow, but should all calm down by Thursday. Wind Guru is a good place to look.

You can check the conditions off Karon Beach very well anytime by looking at the webcam run by the Marina resort:

• Karon Beach Live View

Music for today: ELO, Concerto for a Rainy Day (from the "Out of the Blue" album)

The good intentions and the pain
Lay drowned now in the pouring rain (from "Standin' in the Rain")

Yet again, another low season week of sunshine. There was some rain, just a splash on Friday afternoon - I even donned my plastic poncho for part of the ride home. In the night there was quite a bit of rain and a fair west wind blowing, making the sea a little bouncy, but nothing that would make you lose your lunch. The rest of the week was mostly hot and sunny again, though the rain on Friday night continued into Saturday morning...so we awoke today to pitter patter raindrops and grey skies. Plans for swimming or going to Paradise Beach were abandoned...

What to do on a grey day? Shopping! We headed for Phuket Town and wandered around Robinsons mall for an hour - lots of rather expensive clothes and a good cake shop! But then Mr Blue Sky made an appearance, so we drove over to Koh Sirey (just east of Phuket Town) for lunch at a beachside restaurant called "Had Pleum Suk" - right by the water, views across the sea east of Phuket, but rather slow service. From there, back into Phuket town and a quick drive up Monkey Hill with views over the town and monkeys too!

Don't you just hate the weather? Hey, we should have some rain at this time of year to cool things off, fill the reservoirs, make the land green. If you are on holiday in Phuket right now, I guess you are not complaining. The low season weather is once again confounding the critics with a stunning display of blue skies and sunshine. The weekend was warm and sunny, perfect for BBQ's, birthday parties and beaches. We did all of these things!

On Saturday we drove into Patong (what?) - well, we drove through Patong and out the other side, to a place called Paradise Beach. You follow the road to the Merlin Beach Resort and pass Tri Trang Beach (which is also quite nice), then over a steep narrow road.... it's enough to put off most people, so the beach is lovely, there's a small restaurant, a few beach chairs and the water is pretty clear and good for snorkeling. Might just go back next weekend...


Tri Trang Beach


Paradise Beach

• Read more about Tri Trang and Paradise Beaches
• Tri Trang Beach Resort

Today was just perfect weather for just about anything (so long as you're on holiday and not working...). In fact this whole week has been sunny and warm. Might seem odd for the "low season" / "wet season", but in fact this is quite normal. Most of the time, the weather in Phuket at this time of year is great. Sometimes it's a bit cloudy and sometimes you get some rain. This is my 8th June in Phuket and I keep on saying it, and will say it until I am blue in the face - The low season is a nice time to come to Phuket. Read more here : Rainy Season in Phuket - It's Great!

Now there was a splash of rain earlier in the week. On Monday, my wife was stuck for 45 minutes just north of Phuket Town because the road was flooded. There was no rain in Karon Beach that day (where I was sitting). When the rain comes, the downpours can be very isolated.

Today I went up the hill behind Karon beach. There are lots of back roads in the hills and things are very quiet up there, and the views can be great. Along the road are rubber trees and I found a rubber workers house with sheets of rubber hanging up. Rubber was a very important part of Phuket's economy for a long time and even today in these modern touristy times, huge areas of the island are covered by rubber trees.

Can I just say again - today was lovely!

They slip into the shade...

After Tuesday (probably the wettest day of the year), things have been much nicer. Wednesday was a lovely sunny day, so our PADI Open Water students who had got wet in the pool were able to enjoy a lovely days diving at Racha Yai. This kind of juxtaposition of wet and sunny is typical of wet season weather in Phuket. You never know what will happen next...

Thursday was dry, though not really sunny, and the wind picked up a little. The seas were a bit choppy, but not gut-spilling. Yesterday was warm and dry and mostly sunny. One day of rain per week is not bad for the low season, and not untypical either. Most of the time, the sun shines and visitors at this time of year can enjoy a less crowded, cheaper Phuket. Read more here: Wet Season in Phuket - Great Time to Visit...

Today has started sunny again, though there are clouds around. My bones say the sun will burn through and today will be a scorcher. Ideal weather for going to the cinema in the afternoon with the kids, which is just what we intend to do...choice between Shrek 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean 3 at the SFX Coliseum Cinema at Central Festival.

SFX Coliseum Movie Schedules