Phuket in July
Updated
At a glance
July in Phuket is warm and showery, with rough surf on the west coast, Buddhist holy days and the King's birthday, and the summer holidays under way in the Gulf.
- Weather: About 240 mm of rain falls on some 19 days, usually on and off for a few hours, with highs around 32°C and lows around 26°C.
- Sea: Strong surf and rip currents on the west coast: swim only where lifeguards are on duty, never under a red flag. The water is around 29–30°C.
- Sunset: Between 18:47 and 18:48 all month.
- What's on: Asahna Bucha, a Buddhist holy day, falls on Sunday 18 July, and Khao Phansa, the start of Buddhist Lent, the next day, Monday 19 July, when banks close.
- Islands: The Similan and Surin islands are closed, and Phi Phi's Maya Bay closes from 1 August to 30 September.
The weather in July
An average July in Phuket reaches 32°C by day and drops to 26°C at night, with humidity around 79%. It's the middle of the rainy season, which runs from mid-May to mid-October, and a little drier than the months either side: 240 mm falls in an average July, against 249 mm in June and 309 mm in August.
Rain falls on about 19 days of the month, about three days in five, counting any day with even a light shower, and there's thunder on 3 or 4. Years differ a lot: in three years out of five, July's total has been between 158 mm and 326 mm, and the driest July of the period had only 65 mm.
These are the Thai Meteorological Department's averages for its Phuket station, near Phuket Town, 1991 to 2020. The station at the airport, in the wetter north-west, averages 260 mm in July.
How the rain falls
Rain here comes and goes. Across the airport station's reports for every June, July and August from 2016 to 2025, a day with rain usually saw a few hours of it, on and off and mostly light, peaking around midday and quietest late at night. Only about one day in 25 had rain for half the day or more.
So a wet morning can still end on a dry beach. Keep the day loose, and save the indoor ideas below for the heaviest hours.
The sea in July
The south-west monsoon blows from May to October, and in July it brings strong surf and rip currents onto the west-coast beaches, with the wind mostly from the west.
Read the flags before anyone goes in: red means no swimming, yellow means take care, green means calm, and a double red flag closes the sea to everyone. Swim only where a red-and-yellow flag shows lifeguards on duty, in daylight, and never after a drink. Lifeguards are hired town by town, so cover varies from beach to beach.
In 2026 the Thai Meteorological Department told small boats in the upper Andaman Sea, which takes in the waters off Phuket, to stay ashore from 10 to 15 July, with waves of 2 to 4 metres.
The water is warm, around 29–30°C.
Boats, islands and surf
Boats still go out into Phang Nga Bay and on to Phi Phi in the rainy season, though any trip can be called off or delayed for the weather, at the captain's word. Leave a spare day after it.
The Similan and Surin islands, both national parks, are shut from 16 May to 14 October, and Ko Rok from 1 June to 30 September. Maya Bay on Phi Phi closes from 1 August to 30 September, by the parks department's 2026 notice, so July is the last month to see it before October. No one may swim there.
July is surf season. The Tourism Authority of Thailand names Kata, Kalim, Kamala, Surin and Nai Harn as the places to surf; Kata is the place to rent a board or learn, though not after heavy rain, and Nai Harn's big waves are for the experienced.
Sunset and golden hour
The sun sets between 18:47 and 18:48 through July, the latest sunsets of the year. The warm, low light comes in the last half hour or so before it, when the clouds part.
Cloud covers about seven tenths of the sky on an average July day, so the sunset is never certain.
When it rains
- Old Town, for its shophouses, cafés and shrines, all close together.
- The aquarium at Cape Panwa, run by the government's marine research institute.
- The national museum at Thalang, on Phuket's history and its peoples.
- A Thai massage, a craft on UNESCO's list of living heritage. Look for the shop's licence and the mark of a gold hand and a purple orchid.
- The big malls, Jungceylon in Patong and Central Phuket, each with a prayer room.
What's on in July
Asahna Bucha, a Buddhist holy day, falls on Sunday 18 July, and Khao Phansa, the start of Buddhist Lent, the next day, Monday 19 July, when banks close.
On both days shops and restaurants don't sell alcohol: only licensed hotels, licensed entertainment venues and the airport may. If you visit a temple, cover your shoulders and knees.
Wednesday 28 July is the King's birthday, a holiday, when banks close.
Durian and rambutan are in season: in 2026, the agriculture department expected southern Thailand's harvest of both to peak in July.
Busy or quiet?
Thailand's government calls these months the green season. Hotels have long cut their room rates by about half from May to September, by one hotel data firm's count, while occupancy falls by only about a third, and the dip in July and August isn't severe.
It's the Gulf's summer break: the UAE's school year ends on 2 July 2027, and Saudi schools finish in late June 2027.
What to pack
- Light clothes that dry fast, and a spare set for the day out.
- A light rain jacket or a small umbrella.
- Sandals you don't mind getting wet.
- Insect repellent, which officials urge against dengue.
- A dry bag for phones and passports on boat days.
- Something that covers your shoulders and knees, for temples.
In white on a balcony above the surf, foreheads touching. 
On a café bench in Old Town with an iced coffee. 
Leaning on a parked motorbike outside an Old Town shopfront.
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