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. 

Best Time Of The Year To Visit Koh Samui

Make sure to go to Koh Samui while the weather is nice so that you can go snorkelling! (Photo courtesy agoda.com)

A huge reason why people plan trips from halfway across the world to this island is for its idyllic climate, which can be enjoyed throughout most of the year. In addition to the white sand beaches and crystal-clear ocean, the warm sun, cool breezes of wind from the sea, and moderately humid atmosphere makes the tropical getaway spot even better.

While the Koh Samui weather is unquestionably ideal for all foreigners, there are times during certain months wherein the climate can turn a bit ugly, since the sublime temperature conditions and all-around humidity are affected by the Northwest Monsoon and Southeast Monsoon systems.

The NW monsoon shifts towards the island all the way from India during June, July, and the first week or so of August. However, Koh Samui isn’t severely affected by this system, mainly because the Thai mainland shields the islet against most of the rain showers and strong winds.

From June to August, heavy showers usually take place between the afternoon and late evening, but typically doesn’t last any longer than thirty minutes, meaning it isn’t something that a tourist should really worry about.

On the other hand, the SE monsoon sweeps in from the Philippines and Indonesia during the months of October, November and December – the problem here is there isn’t anything that stands in the way to absorb most of the heavy rain showers and strong gusts of wind.

With that being said, the beautiful Koh Samui weather can quickly take a turn for the worse sometime in between October during this time, tropical storms are expected to bombard the island. Torrential rains and high winds can carry on non-stop for a week, which could easily ruin anyone’s vacation.

However, it’s important for the readers of this article to know that the climate doesn’t constantly remain that way throughout the entire duration of the month. It should be known that in between the powerful rain and relentless winds are dry, sunny days.

Nevertheless, if a storm does continue to pour hard, risks of flash floods hitting the coastal towns is a definitely a possibility. These floods can also cause power outages, which can last several days and beyond.

To avoid having a holiday ruined by bad Koh Samui weather, common-sense will tell any vacationist that planning a vacation during the times of year wherein it’s expected NOT to rain would be a wise course of action. With that said, the months which receive the driest and highest temperatures include February, March, April and May.

The problem is these months are considered the high season, so families that thinking about going to Samui should book a hotel at one of the top hotels like the ShaSa resort in advance.