Content last updated - November 2016 - please contact me  if you have an update! 

Let's face it if you are planning a beach holiday in Phuket - the weather is pretty important. Most of us do not want to be dodging showers on the beach, or worse, tropical downpours! Phuket does have a wet and drier season, but its tropical - its never cold here.  And the wet season does not see the hurricanes or cyclones that cause mass destruction in other parts of the world. In fact the picture on this page - I took it at the height of the "wet" season, in August. For two weeks we had no rain at all!

Generally there are three seasons identified in Phuket:

  • "cool" season: November - February. This is the peak tourist season - the time of the year with the least humidity and the least rain fall. In reality the temperature in Phuket hardly varies at all year round - its between 29C and 31C. There is probably more temperature variation due to your hotel's distance to the beach than the actual climate!
  • "hot" season: March - May. This is when the humidity goes up - making it feel a lot hotter.  Its still not raining though, so this can be the perfect time to come to Phuket if you don't mind the heat!
  • "wet" season: late May/June - October. This is when its supposed to rain - A LOT. However the rainfall charts aren't that extreme and as I said above you can easily stay a week without rain - the average is that it will rain about 20 days out of 30, it will be windier and still pleasantly warm at around 30C.

 What's the Weather Like in the Big Three: Patong, Karon and Kata Beaches?

Patong, Karon, Kata and smaller Kamala  beaches are all next to each other and are all on the west coast. The weather doesn't really vary across Phuket Island, but the geography of the west coast means that during the wet season  the wind direction means that the sea conditions can get very rough during July, August and September particularly. People die every rainy season, the combination of booze and stupidity. If there are red flags on the beach - don't swim - they aren't there to ruin your holiday, they are out to save your life. And yes you can drown in knee-high surf.

If you want more sheltered beaches then look for the few beaches in the south of the island such as Cape Panwa

Patong Beach, August, Phuket

Patong Beach, on an overcast day - July

 

What is the Weather Like In Phuket In...

January Great weather, virtually no rain, blue sky, beach weather Temperature range 24C-31C
February Very similar to January.
March Getting warmer - up to 33C - but still low humidity of 69%.  Unless you are particularly sensitive to the sun you should still have a good time in Phuket - and the beaches and resorts will be less crowded
April This is the hottest month - and the month when the rains come - which can be spectacular of course.
May Second only to September in terms of rain as the rainy season starts with the "bang" so to speak. The humidity is up to the 70's.
June The rain should settle down to a pattern now - in fact June has the least rain of the "wet season" months - worth considering for cheap break.
July Wet but perfectly acceptable, nice cool breeze on the beaches - but watch out for the surf conditions as noted above.
August Can be wet, or not, as we experienced.  Also has the highest average low temperature of 26C - those clouds cause the temperature to not drop as much as in the dry season.
September Historically the wettest month - with some 21 days of some rain.  A wet day often just means an hour or so of rain in the afternoon, and more at night. So its not a total write off at all. Plan your beach time for the morning and then head to the malls or the pubs later in the day.
October Typically less wet than September with 12" rather than 17" of rain. However the same or even higher of "wet days". So the rain showers are shorter but still frequent.
November Getting into the dry season now, and before the tourist season really takes off- an excellent time to go to Phuket.
December/Christmas The is tourist peak season - particularly the period between Christmas and New Year. The weather should be perfect with lows of 23C and highs of 31C and only minimal rain. The only problem with beach time will be finding a spot on the popular beaches!
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