The downpours, which started just after 5pm, saw 138.6mm of rainfall recorded at the airport during the three-hour period from 4pm-7pm, followed by another 71.2mm in the next three-hour recording period – bringing the total rainfall in six hours to a soaking 209.8mm.
Staff from Airports of Thailand (AoT), which operates Phuket airport, confirmed that 11 flights were not able to land during the dangerous weather.
Five flights were set into holding patterns until the weather cleared, while two flights were diverted to Krabi International Airport, two more flights were diverted to Surat Thani International Airport, one flight was diverted to Hat Yai International Airport and one other flight was diverted to Samui Airport.
The deluge of rain overflowed gutters on the roof of the terminals, with water pouring into several areas inside the two terminals, including what staff reported as baggage checking areas, boarding gates and airline offices on the third floor.
Water also cascaded off the roof of the International Terminal, pouring heavily down onto the artificial turf waiting area three floors below.
AoT staff at the airport reported that they fixed the problems and cleaned the affected areas as quickly as possible and AoT management apologised for any inconvenience.