Phuket Weather - March 2014. Wow! Rain!

A new update for the Phuket weather blog - there really has been no need to update much for a few months. The words "Hot", "Sunny", "Blue Skies", "Breezy" were enough. The last update at the end of February was easy to write - no change in the weather. I had last seen rainfall in the first week of January and that was only a very light rain. So if you have been in Phuket the last few months, I reckon you can't complain about the weather! Or can you? Well I am quite sure if you visit for 2 weeks, then 2 weeks of sunshine is great. But of course we do need rain. This is a tropical land, and after a couple of dry months, you can see the hillsides looking a bit yellow, plus Phuket has a huge demand was water supplies. So, sorry if some rain spoils your holiday, but we need it! If you want a guarantee of no rain, the Atacama desert is nice :)

The sky over the last couple of weeks has been just about cloudless. My son and I took a walk up a hill near our house on March 2nd - he said it was his new favourite place, it was like going traveling! Bless his cotton socks.



Please do follow me on Twitter for regular updates on Phuket. The weather gets mentioned, photos get posted, Phuket news is Tweeted.

For a "right now" check on the weather, look at one of the webcams on this blog - at Karon Beach, Patong Beach or Surin Beach. Better if you look during daylight hours. We are at GMT (UTC) + 7 hours.

I've not been taking so many photos recently, mostly just working hard at the dive shop (Sunrise Divers). Divers have been having some great dives recently. A few days ago, some customers doing a "Discover Scuba Diving" trip for first time divers saw this ....



(above) 14th March at Racha Yai island. Whaleshark!

More photos will come soon, once low season hits and I have 2 days off every week, we're planning some weekend trips for the family, and I will go and buy a new camera soon. Sold my Canon 60D a while ago, trying to survive using only the iPhone, but ... I need a camera. Anyone got one they can donate? I might just buy a 60D again, but ever so tempted by a 7D.

Here's a sunset photo from March 8th ...



The photo above was originally posted on Instagram - please do follow me there too - instagram.com/phuketblog thanks :)

And another cloudless sky on March 12th .. this little temple is right outside the dive shop.



And then the big news! Yesterday, 15th March ... well, there was some cloud in the morning, but it burned off .. but then came back as the wind dropped - the wind helps to blow the cloud away. Heat + no wind = thunderstorm. It was only a little one, rained for maybe 15 minutes, but anyway, it was nice! Washed all the dirt off my roof, scared my cats .. I did a video and put it on Instagram :



Then I headed into Phuket Town to visit the camera shop and for a late lunch at Kopitiam. A final photo for this weather update - if you ride a moped in the rain, it's easy to keep dry - just carry an umbrella! Photo snapped from car window at the traffic lights by the Tesco Lotus store, huge roadworks going on there, building an underpass. Yes, Phuket is now busy enough to need underpasses.



(above) No need to get wet in the rain!

Today, March 16th, has been quite grey, no rain, and sun did break out in the afternoon. The wind has dropped, which means (I think) we have hit the real hot season. Hot, windless days and occasional thunderstorms. That's my Phuket weather forecast for the next few weeks.

If you are coming to Phuket and have not booked a hotel yet - look at Agoda.com or the new Top 10 Phuket Hotels list on Jamie's Phuket Blog. See you in Phuket!