Singapore to Phuket in Oct/Nov

[TOT]

Hello All
We are sailing from Singapore to Phuket in October and back to Singapore in November, we did the same trip in March, April and May if 2015 but found a lot of lightning throughout the entire trip.

Does anyone have an experience around the time we are traveling in relation to weather and lightning in October & November?

Appreciate the help


SV TOT 😃
Wayne

[TOT]

Anyone???


SV TOT
Wayne 😃

[ozskipper]

The NE monsoon is from November to March, but on the west Malaysian coast local land breezes have a major effect on sailing conditions. Copied and pasted from...
Malaysia — More info there.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by TOT

Does anyone have an experience around the time we are traveling in relation to weather and lightning in October & November?

That's easy:


1. Every trip up and down the Malacca Straits is different;


2. April-May-June is a statistical maximum period for thunderstorms, especially in the southern Malacca Strait;


3. October-November is a statistical maximum period for thunderstorms, especially in the southern Malacca Strait.


3. The inter-monsoon periods may or may not have line squalls ('barat' or westerly storms; aka Sumatra squalls) too, with lightning. This year, June and July saw an unusual number of thunderstorms in the Malacca Strait (of course Chinese locals will tell you that t-storms are common in the first 15 days of the 7th moon (i.e. the Hungry Ghosts time), when the Gates of Hell are open and the hungry ghosts are looking for whatever it is they look for) but the mid-Malacca Straits saw more thunderstorms before the 7th moon than so far in the 7th moon (today being about day 18 I think). This year, perhaps associated with the El Nino ocean-atmosphere coupling, Johor and Singapore saw little rain in July-August, but the mid-Malacca Straits (Perak, Penang etc) saw quite a bit. A light smoke haze is covering much of the mid-Malacca Strait the past few days - and it's likely to be around for a month or two.


4. Singapore National Environment Agency has the best met data and forecasts in the area. Check the NEA websites (the Malaysian Met Dept has a website with data too, but I find useful data rare there - but that could just be me). Go and physically visit the NEA office and ask to buy the Meteorological Services Singapore book "The Weather and Climate of Singapore" , published in 2012 (ISBN 978-9-810-71340-9). Pages 170-77 deal with lightning, of course focusing on Singapore.


5. This year's El Nino conditions and whatever is happening about the warming of the planet mean situation normal: weather is chaos with a few patterns that emerge out of the chaos and disappear when you try to inspect them closely.


6. Nevertheless, I enjoy anchoring at Pulau Besar in the Water Islands. The newish marina at Lumut is neat. And the male dominated/military-uniform dominated culture of ThaiLand is as much or as little fun as ever.


Al

[TOT]

Thank you Al as you information is much appreciated 👍

I heard the haze was back yet again


SV TOT
Wayne 😃

[TOT]

Thanks Oz Skipper


SV TOT
Wayne 😃