Many foreigners who own property in Phuket, divide their time between their home countries and their Phuket pool villa or their Phuket condo here on the island. Most prefer the high season here, so balance their time between the summer months in Europe or North America, and the blue sky, sunny days of this amazing tropical island. Avoiding the Phuket rainy season seems to be the norm for most residents, they want to ensure that they are here at the right time of year.
When is the Best Time to Stay in Phuket?
Busier Roads But Beautiful Weather
If it is clear skies and warm weather that you are after, the best time to stay Phuket is in the peak season which is December, January, February and March, but you can expect to experience a much busier island, especially over Christmas, New Year and January.
Early to mid-April gets our vote. Because the monsoon winds are only just beginning to change direction after the high season, some may say it is a little too hot in April. While that may be true for other parts of Thailand, we’ve never heard anyone complain in Phuket.
For the most part, it is still high season weather in early April with calm seas, blue skies and only the odd shower, but there is one major difference: the island is much quieter than in the high and peak seasons, making getting around much easier.
The other months to consider are June, July and August. Although the weather is a bit more unpredictable, you are extremely unlucky to experience an entire week or two of rain.
Though the weather is less reliable than April, it is still worth rolling the dice during these three months because the crowds have dissipated and the island has a far more relaxed feel to it. Either way, most of the time, the rain falls in short but heavy showers and then dries up very quickly.
Although many people don’t know about it, sometimes being here in June and early July is an even a safer bet because you may be lucky enough to time it perfectly and take advantage of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the area that encircles the Earth where the northerly and southerly trade winds converge. Although the ITCZ is also responsible for producing heavy rainfall during the rainy season, as the system progresses poleward, clear, hot, and dry conditions develop as winds become westerly.
While the meteorological phenomenon was first scientifically described in the 1920s, sailors already knew it for centuries before that. They referred to those areas of the Ocean where it occurred as “the doldrums”, and their ships were effectively stranded at sea for days on end with no wind.
The ITCZ brings dry, clear weather to Phuket, usually for a few weeks each year around June or early July, and is a surprisingly reliable phenomenon. In fact, many residents of Phuket still wonder why they must endure a horribly rainy May, only for their visiting friends and relatives to “luck out” in June and July.
It’s impossible to estimate exactly what day or even week the weather will begin to clear, but the month of June has only the sixth highest rainfall total of the year, making it just a slightly riskier bet than April.
So while the expression “being in the doldrums” has always had a negative connotation, it takes on a completely new meaning, as the actual doldrums typically make June or July a great time to visit.
The Rainiest Months to Avoid
We know that January, February, and even March are near enough dead certs if you want perfect weather. You are almost guaranteed to get great beach time whilst on the island.
But which are the “dead cert months” not to be here?
Well, the periods to avoid are when Phuket is in transition between the seasons. This is when the monsoon winds start to change direction, and these periods always tend to be extremely unpredictable.
That transition period includes May (with the third highest monthly rainfall of the year), as the high season is winding down, as well as October (second highest monthly rainfall), which is typically the last month of the low season.
We’ve mentioned June and July, which fall in the low season, but which can offer up a few gorgeous sun-kissed weeks each year. August is another one of the rainy season months which can surprise you, i.e. you can be pleasantly surprised by the beach weather.
September, on the other hand, typifies the low season.
Tropical rainstorms can brew from what appeared only minutes before to be clearing skies. It should come then as no surprise that September has by far the highest monthly rainfall on the calendar, and it is generally considered the worst month for scuba diving.
We could also throw November into the equation. It has the seventh highest average monthly rainfall, but most of that falls in the first half of the month. The first full moon in November generally marks the beginning of the transition into high season.
So, if you want to improve your odds of having great weather when visiting your Phuket villa or condo, which means avoiding the rain, the months you will want to steer clear of are May, September, October and early November. This is borne out by Phuket’s annual rainfall statistics. Phuket receives (on average) around 2,500mm of rainfall each year, and over half of this will fall in these 4 months. Avoid them if you can.
The Worst Month to Stay in Phuket
If we had to pick “Avoid This Month At All Costs” the winner (or rather, loser) would be November.
You may recall that the first full moon that month is considered to be the harbinger of the coming high season. Well the hotels obviously don’t follow the lunar calendar because on the 1st November, hotel prices have already been raised to high season rates.
This has always raised more than a few questions with us long-term residents. We’ve seen many early November’s where the monsoon rains lashes the island. However, after Loy Kratong, things certainly start to change for the better, but this is usually past the middle of the month.
But it is worth noting that we’ve seen glorious Novembers and we’ve seen dismal ones. But since the month of November can really be hit and miss, we’d certainly avoid the first two weeks of that month, especially if you want to make sure you see more blue skies and sunshine than rainfall.
Full Moon Festival
They may attempt to justify the high prices because of Loy Kratong (November’s full moon festival), but visitors should be aware that while the first full moon of November is the traditional start of high season, the weather doesn’t always play along.
(The average rainfall data used herein is taken directly from the Thailand Meteorological Department. It is nevertheless possible that other websites will quote slightly different precipitation figures. The rainfall figures cited by any source will always be averages, but depending on the year from which they begin their calculations, those averages could differ from the numbers quoted above.)
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