Phuket Weather

Phuket weather can be divided into three distinct seasons: Peak, Hot, and Rainy. The graph shows a pretty good breakdown of the year. You can see how the temperature stays essentially constant throughout, with the only major difference being the amount of rain.

Peak Season, from December to the end of February, is when everyone from Europe comes to enjoy the sunny days, good weather and to crowd the beaches, fill the hotels, and provide Phuket with enough money to exist over the coming low season. Accommodation prices soar, food costs a bit more, and all the gears in Phuket start slowly turning powered by the massive influx of tourist money.

The Hot Season, from March to the end of May, is when most Europeans have left and the locals and some Asian markets sweat it out trying to stay cool, darting from air conditioned room to air conditioned room. It's not actually that much hotter than any other time of the year, but you only a few degrees makes all the difference.

The Rainy Season, from June until the end of October, is when the gears of Phuket grind to a halt and gain a thick layer of rust. The beaches are empty, the rains come, the locals start to dip into their savings, and everything goes on sale--it's a swift return to Phuket's roots as a local farming community. Still, it's my favorite time of year for all of those reasons, and if you've got a bit of extra time, then it's a great time to visit Phuket: you'll save a lot of money and everything will be more relaxed than during the hectic peak season.