Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 28th October, 2011

Today's weather;

The weather on Koh Samui has taken a drastic change, No reason to worry, it's for the better! A lovely blue sky with some clouds in it is showing off and it looks like a nice and warm day is in the making. Current temp at 7am is 26.7C

The forecast is looking unseasonally good with hardly any rain predicted at all for the next 7 days and plenty of sunshine!The situation on Samui is looking very stable. Some of the shelves at the supermarkets stores are empty, like rice (just a few small bags left), bottled water and pampers are hard to find but eggs just got re-stocked. Bottled water is still widely available in 20 liter bottles, this is local water so supplies seem to be secure.

Empty rice shelves at Tesco Lotus in Chaweng, usually these shelves are packed about a meter and a half high with various brands of rice

Yesterday saw a mixed bag during the morning hours with some rain but during the afternoon it cleared up and the sun came out briefly. Max temp reached 29.2C

If you're planning to visit Koh Samui, please have a look at my Samui hotel recommendation blog with first hand knowledge of many local hotels and by booking on this site, by using the Agoda or Hotels Combined buttons you help me indirectly maintaining my blog. There are also my beloved beer buttons around the blog and a donation button can be found on the top left of this blog, in case you find my blog helpful. Don't be shy!

Suvarnabhumi airport

If you're planning to visit Thailand, please be aware that the Suvarnabhumi international airport is still open and operating as usual. The domestic airport at Don Muang has been closed.

In general the situation around Bangkok remains uncertain about the final extent of the flooding. A group of engineers led by a Toyota Motor Thailand executive yesterday suggested that the government cut sections through five roads in eastern Bangkok to speed up the flow of water into the sea.
However, the lack of understanding among people living near sluice gates is causing a real problem because they are stopping authorities from opening the gates out of fear their residences will be submerged, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said.

Flying in an army helicopter over from central Bangkok near Victory Monument (not flooded) north over the Chao Phraya River (Main river going through Bangkok and threatening to flood it). They flew north to north west generally over Nonthaburi, Bang Bua Tong, Pathum Thani out to a remote village near Ayutthaya where they dropped relief supplies. A long but interesting video

The exodus of people leaving Bangkok over this long weekend is in full swing. We're scheduled to fly out to Pattaya on 3rd November for a dive trip with a group of six and slowly I start to wonder if we can still book hotels in time. They are only arriving today on Samui.

The criticism on the government remains and Bangkok businesses say unclear and inadequate flood information is making it harder for them to make preparations.

In the meantime, the death toll has risen to 373.

Camille