Roads were flooded after heavy rain battered the popular holiday island of Phuket in Thailand this morning.

The region's airport was also affected, with part of the facility where private planes are parked swamped with muddy water following the storm.

Phuket Airport's operator, Aot Phuket, warned travellers of congestion and asked them to allow three to four hours to get to the airport to ensure they arrive in time for their flights, as the roads around the airport has been flooded.

Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, are in the middle of their tropical monsoon rainy season, which lasts from May or June until November. Soaring temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius are often followed by powerful tropical storms with thunder, lightning, rain and flash floods which cause rivers to flow faster and become dangerous.

Local media reported that the country has this year seen 'an unusually sustained and persistent rainy season'. Meteorologists have blamed climate change for the sustained heavy rain, which has been hitting the Thai capital and provinces around the country causing severe floods for several weeks.