Heavy rain set to continue

PHUKET: Phuket residents won’t need to worry about watering their lawns for the next week, as the downpours the island is experiencing are expected to continue.

The Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast) 24-hour weather forecast for Phuket from 7 am today is for isolated heavy rains and widespread thundershowers covering 80% of the area.

Moderate southwesterly monsoon winds of 20 to 35kmh are prevailing along Thailand’s Andaman coast and all ships should are warned to proceed with caution as wave heights could reach up to three meters during rainstorms.

Scattered thundershowers and isolated or widespread downpours are expected to persist until at least the first week of September.

Rainfall reported at 7 am for the previous 24-hour period was 48.6mm in Phuket City and 89.4 mm at Phuket International Airport.

The monsoon rains usually abate by November, the start of the high season for tourism.