Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 8th January, 2017

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 8^th January, 2017

Today's weather;

A later than usual update but all is fine with me. It's Sunday morning and that usually means long morning runs for me and today was no different, except today I couldn't start until 6am, it's too dangerous to run in the dark under these conditions. I managed 21km in around one hour and 54 minutes, which considering the circumstances is really good. I ran yesterday as well and about 20 to 25% of the roads were ankle deep with water, today only three small sections were ankle deep. There was still a lot of water on the road, but nothing more than foot deep and a lot of floods have receded and/or disappeared. 

This morning saw a range from no rain, to drizzle to light rain changing positions all the time around Koh Samui. The hard and torrential rain seems to have gone.

The airport is up and running with planes taking off and landing all the time, so hopefully they can take care of their back log.

It seems the January 2017 floods are on their last legs. It's not over yet but it's slowing down however one more batch of hard rain is still predicted for this morning. We'll see how that pans out. Current temp at 9am is 25C

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 8th January, 2017; Bang Rak bay this morning, still a grey and cloudy sky but not that much rain anymore and the water doesn't have that brown color anymore. Things are slowly on the upside again.

Yesterday saw rain almost all day long but it was a lot lighter rain and we had many rain breaks as well. Still, a lot of roads were still flooded, like at the Chaweng lake and roundabout, at the area where the one way systems starts and around Centara Grand Beach resort. At the Bophud traffic lights it was also still full on flood. Many other areas saw some easing up during the afternoon. Max temp reached 26C

The forecast keeps pushing back that end of the rain. Now it seems that Monday will have light amounts of rain and the cloud cover is about to break open come Wednesday. After that it looks really good into next weekend with plenty of sunshine. Who knows!

Just keep hanging in there, today may see one more time some hard rain and tonight some hard wind but it may well be the end of this rain period.

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 7th January, 2017

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 7^th January, 2017

Today's weather;

It's still grey and very wet over Koh Samui, third day running now and more torrential rain is expected this morning. The rain isn't necessarily hard, but non stop and relentlessly coming down and there's still a fair bit of wind. Later today, currently predicted to happen around 4pm, the rain may drastically slow down and this may the sign of the rain slowly fading away in general. 

The current floods are harsh and seem to be worse than in recent early December 2016 but the 2011 floods on the island still seem to be worse compared to the current situation.

Roads are still flooded due to the relentless amount of rain but the airport was active last night and flights were departing at 11.30pm. The ferries between the mainland and Koh Samui-Koh Phangan-Koh Tao are still running although the situation especially on Koh Phangan seems to be dire.

The mainland in Southern Thailand is also very hard hit, trains stop now in Chumphon, roads and bridges have been wiped away and Nakhon Si Thammarat closed the airport down. 

The rain has now also reached the West coast and Phuket is having lots of rain now as well.

Follow my Facebook page for more updates.

Current temp at 7am is 24C, the next 7 hours some 76mm of rain are expected and 124mm over the next 24 hours, from 7am to 7am.

As the flood situation in southern provinces is getting worse posing threat to lives and properties of the people, Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda announced the upgrading of management of large-scale disaster to Level 3, according to ThaiPBS news.

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 7th January, 2017; The direct connection or road to our house in Plai Laem is still closed down. In front of Big C was passable yesterday but at the traffic lights in Bophud it was still flooded. The situation doesn't seem to get any better until later today, during the late afternoon

Yesterday saw relentless rain almost all day long, except a few dry spells during the morning. The airport was able to open up for a short while and some planes could land and take off. The situation was dire all around the island. Check my Facebook for more updates. Max temp yesterday reached 24C

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 7th January, 2017; The clouds over Southern Thailand as of 1pm last night Koh Samui is still completely covered but moving on to the outskirts now

The forecast is looking better, still torrential and relentless rain today until around 4pm and after that the rain should drastically slow down and come Monday morning it should start to clear up according to current forecasts. Later next week it should be partially cloudy and we even have some sunshine. The run off water from the hills will still be around for around a week though but things should slowly settle in and get back to normal. 

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 6th January, 2017

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 6th January, 2017

Today's weather;

Good morning from a wet and soggy Koh Samui. Yesterday's floods got a lot of attention in local and some international media as well.

It has rained all night long, not hard, but a constant drizzle and possible with some hard showers thrown in for good measure. At this moment it's hard to tell how the flash floods are doing around the island. The road near our house is open, after it was closed down for a few hours yesterday, and has just a little bit of flood water and can easily be passed.

The wind is still forceful and blowing hard at times. All small boats trips have been cancelled but the (Seatran) ferries between Koh Tao-Koh Phangan-Koh Samui are still running at 10am and 1pm

There is currently a drizzle but more and harder rain is expected today, although not as much as yesterday. Enough though to make venturing out of your house not very recommendable if there's no need to go outside, or go too far. Having said that, Koh Samui is safe, as long as you don't do any silly things. Be careful and aware of your surroundings. 

The airport still has no activities but the ferries to the mainland should be running. Current temp at 7am is 25C

The floods caused all kinds of problems, small or bigger. Here's a scene around the corner of our house in Plai Laem, moments after the closed road was opened up again, during a lull in the rain and the water receded very quickly, when a car got stuck in little sand bank. Bystanders were there to give a helping hand and within a few minutes the car became mobile again. A blue BMW was not so lucky and got stuck in the middle of the flooded road for several hour and it took another couple of hours before it was towed away.

Yesterday saw one of Koh Samui's worst flooded days, although last month in early December 2016 and November 2010 had it in them as well. There was mayhem all around the island, the road between the Bophud traffic lights and Nathon was closed down and the airport didn't see much airplane movement at all all day long. The schools of our children were closed yesterday.

The mainland got hit worse though, highway bridges collapsed and the trains can't go any further South than in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The East coast and the Gulf of Thailand have been hit badly, worse than the West coast.

Max temp reached 27C

Bang Rak bay. Dark clouds and murky and muddy water all day long combined with a strong wind.

The forecast predicts plenty of rain for today and also rain over the weekend, but each day having less rain compared to the previous day and the wind is dropping off, predicted to have disappeared come Thursday. 

Come Monday it should be dry again and possibly the sun may peak through.

Just hold on one more day, the weather situation seems to be improving as of tomorrow.

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Flooding Koh Samui January 2017

Flooding Koh Samui January 2017

Flooding Koh Samui January 2017 just about a month after we had flooding in December 2016 around the island and he tail end of the monsoon bites us in the behind again!

Flooding Koh Samui January 2017; Plai Laem this morning, this part of the road is now closed

Unlike last month, this should only last today and to a lesser degree tomorrow, Saturday the recovery should start already and come Sunday all should be fine again with the wind and rain gone.

The airport has been severely affected today and to the best of my knowledge, only the 6am plane Bangkok bound was able to take off, if at all. All other flights in and outbound have been delayed for the time being and I'm not to sure if there will be any more planes be able to depart or arrive today.

Car ferry traffic with the mainland was unaffected as far as I know and between Koh Tao - Koh Phangan - Koh Samui, some ferries may have run, but possibly not all of them.

Flooding Koh Samui January 2017; At the Bophud traffic lights, for small cars not a good idea at the moment, you will need at least a pick up or a similar high sized car

This is hitting Koh Samui hard though and there are floods all over the island. The amount of torrential rain today and last night is almost unreal. There's water everywhere. 

Flooding Koh Samui January 2017; Chaweng lake becoming a real lake again, little by little, drop by drop

All the usual suspects and lots of other places weren't able to handle the amount of rain today. Once the rain decides to stop, most or all of the floods will recede within hours. Around the Chaweng lake area various pumps are installed since early last month to pump the lake clear.

Flooding Koh Samui January 2017; The Chaweng roundabout near Chaweng lake, where everybody pretends not to understand how a roundabout is supposed to function when giving way, or rather, not giving way

Before the new drainage system was put in place, a few years ago, the water would remain for a couple of days, up till weeks. Now we just have to deal with the run off from the mountains once the water has receded.

Flooding Koh Samui January 2017; Between the ring road and the start of the one way section in Chaweng, going slightly down hill

A lot of the problems have been caused by construction being build without considerations of the natural water ways, seeking the shortest way to the ocean. These are a lot of times blocked now and contribute to the overall flood problem or in some cases cause them.

Flooding Koh Samui January 2017; The hill to Nathon

We didn't have floods like this since a long time but now we have them twice in the time frame of just one month apart. December saw some serious and continuous flooding, this should only be mainly today and to a much lesser content also tomorrow.

Flooding Koh Samui January 2017; The sheep farm in Maenam turned into an instant water park, enjoy it whilst it lasts! The salad hydroponics are ok, high and although not dry, yet safe

On the mainland the situation is even worse, especially the province of Pattalung has been hit very hard but various other provinces, starting at Surat Thani and South of it and mainly the Eastern side of Thailand, have some serious water and flood problems. South bound trains can't get any further than Nakhon Si Thammarat at the moment and some major roads have been blocked.

Flooding Koh Samui January 2017; The road to Nathon, under construction and under water

We need to sit this one out and hope for it to better or less come tomorrow, as the prediction stated. If you don't need to go out, stay inside today, is my advice at the moment.

Batten those hatches down!

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 5th January, 2017

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 5^th January, 2017

Today's weather;

It's as expected, dark, grey and very wet. Last night there was plenty of rain and it's now raining non stop since a few hours, from hard to a drizzle but relentless, all around Koh Samui. There's torrential rain expected until around 4pm, when the intensity of the rain is supposed to lessen but it still will continue to rain. Very strong wind to storm like conditions are expected, especially between 10am and 2pm. This is outside of normal monsoon conditions and hopefully we get through today without too much hassle. Still no power cuts but I won't be surprised if the power will cut sometime later today. Expect plenty of floods and they will last most likely until the rain stops. Once the rain stops, today or tomorrow, the floods tend to disappear rather quickly. Current temp at 7am is 25C
Update at 7.30am; it seems that all schools have been cancelled for today, despite that some had exams on the agenda.

The sky over Koh Samui yesterday, dark and heavy with rain. There was plenty of rain yesterday and plenty of floods, however, it didn't rain all day long and the breaks in-between the rain showers allowed most or all of the floods to recede rather quickly. Today may be a different story

Yesterday saw plenty of rain but with enough breaks in-between the showers to give the plentiful floods enough time to recede rather quickly all over the island. There was a strong wind as well, especially later during the afternoon and early evening and night. Max temp reached 27C

The forecast for today has already been explained at the top of this post, with the rain supposedly starting to slow down around 4pm. Tomorrow there will still be plenty of rain, but not as much as there will be today and the wind will slowly start to calm down. Saturday may still see a little bit of rain during the early morning hours and from there onward the situation should improve with the sun breaking out again and the rain pretty much gone until Thursday, besides a short shower here and there.

Batten the hatches for today though!

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 4th January, 2017

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 4^th January, 2017

Today's weather;

It's pouring this morning and the sky is still very grey over Koh Samui this morning with a fair amount of wind. A comeback of the monsoon season that nobody is really waiting for. It should stay rainy all day long and I won't be surprised if we will see some roads getting flooded again. Once the rain stops, the floods should clear quickly today. Current temp at 7am is a very cool 24C

Stairs at the Maenam temple Wat Phu Khao Thong, with dragons at the side for protection

Yesterday a few showers throughout the day, accompanied with some thunderstorms. It was grey all day long and no sun in sight. Max temp reached 29C

The forecast is not looking at all until Saturday. Today should see rain most of the day but tomorrow we may expect torrential rain all day long, which will go hand in hand with plenty of floods around the island. Today the wind already picked up but tomorrow it may reach a very strong force. Friday and Saturday the wind and rain should become less and come Sunday we may see a break in the cloud covers again and hopefully e can bury this monsoon season for once and for all.

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 3rd January, 2017

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 3rd January, 2017

Today's weather;

Did I imply the other day that the monsoon may be finished. Well, that was proven completely wrong this morning. It's raining pretty hard accompanied with thunder and we have a grey cloud cover hanging low over Koh Samui, which doesn't look like it has any plans to go somewhere for the next couple of days. Expect a wet day today! Current temp at 7am is 25C

Plai Laem, the back of our house, on a very rainy morning today. It's pouring down!

Yesterday saw a cloudy day with occasionally a few light showers and we had a strong but shirt shower around 11am. Max temp reached 29C

The forecast predicts strong wind and plenty of rain until Thursday. The wind and the rain are supposed to slowly wind down by then but come Saturday we may have another very wet day whilst there will still be a bit of wind. The last legs of the monsoon? Let's hope so and look forward to some nicer and sunnier skies come mid January!

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 2nd January, 2017

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 2^nd January, 2017

Today's weather;

There's a thin cloud layer with plenty of blue patches out there over Koh Samui this morning. There's still a fair bit of wind, but the strength has dropped a bit and some rain is expected today. Current temp at 7am is 27C

Big Buddha at Koh Fan, around the corner from where we live in Plai Laem, a great location to get some good photography done. Scenic and interesting objects to take pictures of.

Yesterday saw a grey day without any sunshine but with a few small showers throughout the day. Max temp reached 30C

The forecast for the next ten days has changed, and not for the better. Mostly cloudy combined with a bit of wind and regular small showers are expected with occasionally some sunshine breaking through.

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Welcome to January 2017

Welcome to January 2017

Welcome to January 2017 and a Happy New Year to all my readers! It's the first day of January of the new year 2017, let's all make it a good year.

January is when usually the monsoon time crawls back under he stones it came from and despite  cloudy and windy and slightly wet start of the year, today and possibly tomorrow, after that it should clear up and hopefully it will stay nice for the remainder of the month.

Last years January version was a bit of mixed bag, sunny and wet days alike and relatively cold (very relative!) so we'll see what this January will bring, it just hast be better than last month, December 2016!

Welcome to January 2017

Work will bring me this month to both Phuket and Koh Lanta for two consecutive PADI IDC programs and two thirds of this month I will be spending on the road again.

First things first though, we're going to check if Dcheed 2 is open today, so we can load up on pork sateh's!

Have a good one, see you tomorrow again!

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 1st January, 2017

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 1^st January, 2017

Today's weather;

It's cloudy with shades of light to dark grey over Koh Samui with hardly any blue spots to be seen and some clouds are rain heavy, which occasionally results in light showers. During the remainder of the day it my clear up and become a bit less clouded and a bit more dry. Current temp at 8am is 28C

Chaweng Beach at the 'Ark Bar' shortly after the countdown. We went with our kids who weren't impressed at all, 'too many people' and 'too crowded' was their verdict. We had to almost force Mum to come home with us though, she was in a party mode!

Yesterday saw a cloudy day with a strong wind but it remained dry until the early evening and there were only short and light showers most of the time. Max temp reached 31C

The forecast for the first seven days of 2017 are looking fairly good, some rain and strong winds for today and tomorrow but come Wednesday it should clear up and make place for partially clouded skies and dry days with some sunshine. Maybe we can leave the monsoon season behind us now. It would be about time!

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille