Seasons Guide for Koh Samui Visit

 

You can't always expect fun in the sun in Koh Samui

As in visiting any tourist destination, a trip to Koh Samui, one of the leading travel destinations in Thailand, will have to take into account the local climate and when is the best time for a visit. Samui weather is generally hot and humid throughout the year. The more dramatic change comes during the monsoon season, which affects not only Thailand but also its Southeast Asian neighbours, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

There are two systems, which prevail during the times of the monsoon. These are the northwest and the southeast monsoon systems. During the southeast monsoon, which occurs from October to December, tropical storms can be expected across Indonesia and the Philippines, weather systems that eventually veer towards Malaysia and Thailand, including Koh Samui.  The island isn’t affected by the northwest monsoon that much which sweeps in from India from June to early August. The Thai mainland serves as a buffer zone for Koh Samui for any weather disturbance during this monsoon season.

Typhoon season

Nonetheless, heavy showers lasting for some 30 minutes can be expected during this season, particularly in the early afternoon up to early evening. More worrisome are the powerful effects of the southeast monsoon, which can bring in strong typhoons with high winds and heavy rainfall lasting sometimes up to a week. Several storms can be expected to develop and pass the island during this season. But in-between these typhoons, spells of the warm, sunny weather can also be experienced.

At this time of the year, most service-oriented tourist facilities like the ShaSa Resort at Koh Samui’s southern point are prepared for any contingency that the inclement weather may bring. The prolonged torrential rains can cause flooding from waters flowing from Koh Samui’s central, mountainous area. This can result in some inconvenience for visitors staying in the coastal towns, like Chaweng, which is one of the tourist centres of Koh Samui.

Some remedies installed

Besides flooding, the tourist hubs in the island, including those at Bophut, Lamai, Maenam, and Cheong Mon, may also be affected by road closures and power outages. Thankfully, many of the better-prepared tourist and travel facilities in the island have already secured emergency power sources to somehow ease the situation in case a strong typhoon hits the island. The drainage system of Koh Samui has also been vastly improved so that whatever flooding occurs subsides reasonably quicker than before.