Heavy rain of the kind predicted for Phuket for the rest of the week flooded parts of Thepkasattri Road this afternoon, reducing access to one lane each way around Blue Canyon Golf Course.


PHUKET: Rolling rocks and rainbows marked Phuket's Songkran New Year celebrations . . . with one proving better to be under than the other.

The rock tumbled onto the road between Patong and Kamala last night, with no damage done. But it was a timely warning that the monsoon rains have a tendency to loosed hillsides and trigger landslips.

The rainbow appeared in the sky over Patong yesterday and surprised locals by lingering for about an hour.

Could it be a portent of good fortune for Phuket and Patong this coming year? Or perhaps it's an omen that the end of the rainbow is actually elsewhere?

Some people figured it was a great bit of marketing for the gay Phuket Pride Festival, coming up later this month and for the first time calling for families to become part of the fun.

The weather for the rest of the week could produce more rocks and rainbows. Meteorologists today predicted rain across 30 to 40 percent of Phuket for this afternoon and this evening.

The forecast, with waves up to a metre and winds of 15-30 kmh, was expected to be consistent through until Friday at least.