Thailand forum

Samui is having a pretty dry wet season SO FAR - and the Thai Bureau of Meteorology rainy season outlook says this year should have slightly below average rainfall.

I'm a weather nut - this is my usual splurge for November:

The southern Gulf islands (Samui, Phangan, Tao) tend to be wetter in November. They have a different wet season - normally Oct into Jan.
Prolonged wet periods are not too common in Thailand but I have to say in all the years I've been following the wet season (I'm a weather nerd, got a weather page in the link below) the most complaints of this have come from the Samui area islands in Oct, Nov and early Dec. But things are variable - I've only visited this area once during THAT period, in Nov 97, and I got good weather. It seems these real wet ones come up about in about 20-25% of the years - but not necessarily every 4th-5th year.

In other regions early November often sees the wet season tapering off - by mid/late November often dry season has kicked in.
Mid-late Nov is my favourite time for doing the Andaman because there is normally heaps of sunshine with periodic ripper storms, but it is shoulder season with plenty of vacancies, fewer crowds yet all ferry transport normally open. I'll be there this year.

It can be even better in the eastern Gulf (big Chang and neighbours plus Samet) and the North, where statistically and anecdotally the wet season ends earlier than elsewhere. The central area around Bangkok seems less wet in early Nov too.

http://www.tmd.go.th/EN/province.php?id=72 - click on last 24 hours and last 7 days

http://www.tmd.go.th/programs%5Cuploads%5Cforecast%5C2009-08-14_Seasonal_EN_142236.pdf - check table at bottom of page