When to visit Phuket

Phuket's seasons

The Thai Meteorological Department splits Thailand's year into a hot season from mid-February to mid-May, a rainy season from mid-May to mid-October and a cool season from mid-October to mid-February. On Phuket the cool season is cool in name only: daytime highs average 31.8°C or more in every month, and nights between 24.9°C and 26.3°C.

The seasons follow the monsoons. The south-west monsoon, from about mid-May to mid-October, brings most of the year's rain, and with it strong surf and rip currents on the west coast's beaches from May to October. The north-east monsoon follows, from about mid-October to mid-February, and the rain eases.

For a visit, that makes a high season, November to April, and a low season, May to October. In the first half of 2025, one industry survey found the island's hotels busiest in January, about 92% full, against about 67% in June.

Phuket weather by month

The figures are averages at the Thai Meteorological Department's Phuket station, 1991 to 2020: the day's high and the night's low, the month's rain, and how many days bring any rain at all.

One year can be much wetter or drier than the next, so treat these as a guide. The sea stays warm all year, around 28–30°C: coolest in January, warmest in April and May.

November, in more detail: Phuket in November

December, in more detail: Phuket in December

Which months suit what

• Swimming: November to April, when the sea is usually calmer. Whatever the month, swim only where the flags allow, and never on a red flag.
• Island days, snorkelling and diving: the Similan and Surin national parks are open from 15 October to 15 May, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand picks out December for its clear water.
• Golden-hour photos: any month, with the clearest skies from January to March.
• Lower prices: May to October, the low season, when hotels are emptier and rooms cost less.

Festivals through the year

• Late January or February: Chinese new year, between 22 January and 19 February (Saturday 6 February in 2027). Within about a week comes Old Town's own festival: three nights of food stalls, stages and a parade, with Thalang Road closed to traffic in the evenings.
• March: the heroines' festival, around 13 March, the day in 1785 when the women who led Thalang's defence saw off a siege.
• April: Songkran, the Thai new year, from 13 to 15 April. In 2026, Phuket marked it with a water festival at Patong from 11 April and a celebration on Dibuk Road in Old Town.
• August or September: Por Tor, the festival of the seventh Chinese lunar month at Old Town's shrines, with offerings that include red cakes shaped like turtles.
• Late September or October: the Vegetarian Festival, over the first nine days of the ninth Chinese lunar month (10 to 18 October in 2026).
• November, or sometimes late October: Loy Krathong, on the full moon of the twelfth Thai lunar month (Tuesday 24 November in 2026), when people set krathong, small floats of banana leaf and flowers, on ponds, lakes and the sea after dark.
• December: the King’s Cup Regatta, first sailed in 1987, now raced off Kata early in the month (5 to 12 December in 2026).

The rainy season

Phuket's rainy season runs from May to October, with the south-west monsoon, and brings 76% of the year's rain. It is wettest at its end, in September and October.

The surf runs strong on the west coast, so swim only where the flags allow. The Similan and Surin national parks close from 16 May to 14 October, and Phi Phi's Maya Bay from 1 August to 30 September.

Golden hour through the year

Sunset moves by less than an hour across the year, from 18:04 in November to 18:48 in July, and the warm, low light comes in the last half hour or so before it.

On an average day, cloud covers less than half the sky from January to March, and about seven tenths of it from July to October. A cloudy evening gives softer, less golden light.

Today's sunset, and where to watch it: Sunset in Phuket