Kota Kinabalu climate
Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). The average temperature over the year is 28 °C82 °F, and about 2,716 mm107 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kota Kinabalu climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2985 | 2576 | 2781 | 1977.8 |
| Feb | 3085 | 2475 | 2780 | 983.9 |
| Mar | 3087 | 2576 | 2781 | 1234.8 |
| Apr | 3188 | 2678 | 2883 | 1385.4 |
| May | 3187 | 2679 | 2883 | 2188.6 |
| Jun | 3086 | 2679 | 2882 | 26310 |
| Jul | 3085 | 2678 | 2882 | 25910 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2678 | 2882 | 2399.4 |
| Sep | 3086 | 2578 | 2882 | 27211 |
| Oct | 3085 | 2578 | 2882 | 35614 |
| Nov | 3086 | 2578 | 2882 | 28211 |
| Dec | 3085 | 2578 | 2781 | 27011 |
| Year | 3188 | 2475 | 2882 | 2,716107 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87% | 85% | 4.3 | 11:49 |
| Feb | 87% | 77% | 4.9 | 11:56 |
| Mar | 85% | 74% | 5.3 | 12:04 |
| Apr | 83% | 72% | 5.5 | 12:15 |
| May | 85% | 82% | 5.3 | 12:23 |
| Jun | 85% | 84% | 5.1 | 12:28 |
| Jul | 85% | 86% | 5.1 | 12:26 |
| Aug | 85% | 84% | 5.3 | 12:19 |
| Sep | 85% | 85% | 5.2 | 12:09 |
| Oct | 87% | 86% | 4.8 | 11:59 |
| Nov | 86% | 84% | 4.7 | 11:50 |
| Dec | 87% | 86% | 4.4 | 11:47 |
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 Kota Kinabalu is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 31 °C87 °F and a low of 26 °C79 °F. The coldest is February, when highs average 30 °C85 °F and lows 24 °C75 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 1.5 °C2.8 °F.
It is very wet, receiving about 2,716 mm107 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is September–November, which brings 34% of the annual total. The wettest month is October (356 mm14 in), the driest is February (98 mm3.9 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 83% in April to 87% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 72%) are typical of April. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in May to 6 km/h (4 mph) in February.
Best time to visit Kota Kinabalu
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are February: average highs of 30 °C85 °F to 30 °C85 °F with 98 mm3.9 in to 98 mm3.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is October, which is very wet (356 mm14 in) and humid (87% 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 Kota Kinabalu
- Wetter months (June–December) — highs around 30 °C85 °F, lows 2578 to 26 °C79 °F, about 277 mm11 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 (January–May) — highs 2985 to 31 °C88 °F, lows 2475 to 26 °C79 °F, about 155 mm6.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Kota Kinabalu compares
Of the 32 places in Malaysia covered by World Climates, Kota Kinabalu is the 6th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 8th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Malaysia climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Muricay (Philippines, Af), Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei, Af) and Palopo (Indonesia, Af).
Nearby places
- Bandar Seri Begawan 174 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,989 mm118 in
- Sandakan 227 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,886 mm114 in
- Lahad Datu 271 km · 27 °C80 °F · 2,620 mm103 in
- Tawau 279 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,490 mm98 in
- Miri 289 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,891 mm114 in
- Tarakan 340 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,897 mm114 in
- Bintulu 459 km · 26 °C79 °F · 3,819 mm150 in
- Puerto Princesa 511 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,687 mm66 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kota Kinabalu?
May is the warmest month in Kota Kinabalu, with an average high of 31 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 26 °C (79 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kota Kinabalu?
February is the coldest month, with an average high of 30 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (75 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kota Kinabalu?
October is the wettest month with about 356 mm (14.0 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 98 mm (3.9 in).
What is the best time to visit Kota Kinabalu?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are February.
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 468 m, while Kota Kinabalu lies at about 5 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +3 °C5.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.