Balikpapan climate
Balikpapan (Indonesia) has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C81 °F, and about 2,469 mm97 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Balikpapan climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2882 | 2679 | 2780 | 2389.4 |
| Feb | 2882 | 2679 | 2780 | 2258.8 |
| Mar | 2882 | 2680 | 2781 | 2399.4 |
| Apr | 2882 | 2780 | 2781 | 2248.8 |
| May | 2882 | 2781 | 2781 | 2218.7 |
| Jun | 2781 | 2780 | 2781 | 2309.0 |
| Jul | 2781 | 2679 | 2780 | 1907.5 |
| Aug | 2781 | 2679 | 2780 | 1325.2 |
| Sep | 2781 | 2679 | 2780 | 1315.2 |
| Oct | 2882 | 2780 | 2781 | 1566.1 |
| Nov | 2882 | 2780 | 2781 | 2168.5 |
| Dec | 2882 | 2680 | 2781 | 26911 |
| Year | 2882 | 2679 | 2781 | 2,46997 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82% | 92% | 4.5 | 12:11 |
| Feb | 83% | 88% | 4.9 | 12:09 |
| Mar | 82% | 86% | 4.9 | 12:07 |
| Apr | 82% | 82% | 4.8 | 12:05 |
| May | 82% | 75% | 4.7 | 12:04 |
| Jun | 83% | 76% | 4.3 | 12:03 |
| Jul | 83% | 72% | 4.6 | 12:03 |
| Aug | 83% | 68% | 5.0 | 12:04 |
| Sep | 82% | 68% | 5.0 | 12:06 |
| Oct | 82% | 79% | 4.9 | 12:08 |
| Nov | 81% | 86% | 4.6 | 12:11 |
| Dec | 82% | 91% | 4.5 | 12:12 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Balikpapan is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 28 °C82 °F and a low of 27 °C81 °F. The coldest is August, when highs average 27 °C81 °F and lows 26 °C79 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 0.9 °C1.5 °F.
It is very wet, receiving about 2,469 mm97 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 30% of the annual total. The wettest month is December (269 mm11 in), the driest is September (131 mm5.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 81% in November to 83% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 68%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in April to 12 km/h (7 mph) in August.
Best time to visit Balikpapan
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are August and September: average highs of 27 °C81 °F to 27 °C81 °F with 131 mm5.2 in to 132 mm5.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is December, which is very wet (269 mm11 in) and humid (82% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Balikpapan
- Wetter months (November–June) — highs 2781 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 2679 to 27 °C81 °F, about 233 mm9.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (July–October) — highs 2781 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 2679 to 27 °C80 °F, about 152 mm6.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Balikpapan compares
Compared with Samarinda, about 93 km to the north, Balikpapan is on average 1.2 °C2.1 °F warmer and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in June (1.3 °C2.4 °F warmer).
Of the 110 places in Indonesia covered by World Climates, Balikpapan is the 56th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 38th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Indonesia climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Magugpo Poblacion (Philippines, Af), Batu Pahat (Malaysia, Af) and Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia, Af).
Nearby places
- Nusantara 35 km · 26 °C79 °F · 2,429 mm96 in
- Samarinda 93 km · 26 °C78 °F · 2,449 mm96 in
- Bontang 172 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,192 mm86 in
- Banjarbaru 328 km · 27 °C80 °F · 2,632 mm104 in
- Banjarmasin 338 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,785 mm110 in
- Palangkaraya 340 km · 26 °C79 °F · 2,850 mm112 in
- Palu 341 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,734 mm68 in
- Palopo 421 km · 27 °C81 °F · 3,184 mm125 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Balikpapan?
May is the warmest month in Balikpapan, with an average high of 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of 27 °C (81 °F).
What is the coldest month in Balikpapan?
August is the coldest month, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 26 °C (79 °F).
When does it rain the most in Balikpapan?
December is the wettest month with about 269 mm (10.6 in) of precipitation; September is the driest with about 131 mm (5.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Balikpapan?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are August and September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 7 m, while Balikpapan lies at about 67 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −0.4 °C0.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.