Lahad Datu climate
Lahad Datu (Malaysia) has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C80 °F, and about 2,620 mm103 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Lahad Datu climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2883 | 2474 | 2678 | 30512 |
| Feb | 2883 | 2374 | 2679 | 2007.9 |
| Mar | 2984 | 2475 | 2679 | 1987.8 |
| Apr | 3085 | 2576 | 2781 | 1606.3 |
| May | 2985 | 2577 | 2781 | 1756.9 |
| Jun | 2984 | 2577 | 2780 | 1957.7 |
| Jul | 2883 | 2476 | 2680 | 2168.5 |
| Aug | 2983 | 2476 | 2680 | 2238.8 |
| Sep | 2984 | 2476 | 2780 | 1827.2 |
| Oct | 2984 | 2476 | 2780 | 2268.9 |
| Nov | 2984 | 2476 | 2780 | 2379.3 |
| Dec | 2883 | 2475 | 2679 | 30412 |
| Year | 3085 | 2374 | 2780 | 2,620103 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 92% | 75% | 4.2 | 11:52 |
| Feb | 90% | 65% | 4.8 | 11:57 |
| Mar | 89% | 60% | 5.4 | 12:05 |
| Apr | 88% | 54% | 5.7 | 12:13 |
| May | 89% | 64% | 5.5 | 12:21 |
| Jun | 90% | 72% | 5.1 | 12:25 |
| Jul | 91% | 77% | 5.1 | 12:23 |
| Aug | 90% | 73% | 5.3 | 12:17 |
| Sep | 89% | 75% | 5.2 | 12:08 |
| Oct | 90% | 75% | 4.9 | 11:00 |
| Nov | 91% | 71% | 4.6 | 11:53 |
| Dec | 92% | 74% | 4.3 | 11:50 |
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 Lahad Datu is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 29 °C85 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 28 °C83 °F and lows 24 °C74 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 1.4 °C2.6 °F.
It is very wet, receiving about 2,620 mm103 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is January (305 mm12 in), the driest is April (160 mm6.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 88% in April to 92% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 54%) are typical of April. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 2 km/h (1 mph) in November to 2 km/h (1 mph) in August.
Best time to visit Lahad Datu
No month comes close to our comfort ideal here. The least demanding months are April, May and September (average highs 30 °C85 °F, 29 °C85 °F and 29 °C84 °F).
The most challenging month is December, which is very wet (304 mm12 in) and humid (92% 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 Lahad Datu
- Wetter months (October–January, August) — highs 2883 to 29 °C84 °F, lows around 24 °C74 °F, about 259 mm10 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 (February–July, September) — highs 2883 to 30 °C85 °F, lows 2374 to 25 °C77 °F, about 189 mm7.5 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 Lahad Datu compares
Compared with Sandakan, about 94 km to the north, Lahad Datu is on average 0.6 °C1.1 °F cooler and receives 9% less precipitation (2,620 mm103 in vs 2,886 mm114 in). The difference is largest in August (0.8 °C1.4 °F cooler).
Of the 32 places in Malaysia covered by World Climates, Lahad Datu is the 30th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 13th 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): Magugpo Poblacion (Philippines, Af), Dumai (Indonesia, Af) and Nusantara (Indonesia, Af).
Nearby places
- Sandakan 94 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,886 mm114 in
- Tawau 99 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,490 mm98 in
- Tarakan 207 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,897 mm114 in
- Kota Kinabalu 271 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,716 mm107 in
- Jolo 317 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,566 mm62 in
- Bandar Seri Begawan 376 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,989 mm118 in
- Zamboanga 464 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,637 mm64 in
- Miri 486 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,891 mm114 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Lahad Datu?
May is the warmest month in Lahad Datu, with an average high of 29 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Lahad Datu?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (74 °F).
When does it rain the most in Lahad Datu?
January is the wettest month with about 305 mm (12.0 in) of precipitation; April is the driest with about 160 mm (6.3 in).
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 144 m, while Lahad Datu lies at about 7 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.9 °C1.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.