Medan climate
Medan (Indonesia) has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C80 °F, and about 2,276 mm90 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Medan climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2984 | 2374 | 2679 | 1505.9 |
| Feb | 2985 | 2374 | 2680 | 903.6 |
| Mar | 3086 | 2475 | 2780 | 1425.6 |
| Apr | 3086 | 2476 | 2781 | 1385.4 |
| May | 3087 | 2576 | 2882 | 2007.9 |
| Jun | 3086 | 2476 | 2781 | 1375.4 |
| Jul | 3086 | 2475 | 2780 | 1686.6 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2475 | 2780 | 1997.8 |
| Sep | 3085 | 2475 | 2780 | 26110 |
| Oct | 2985 | 2475 | 2780 | 31012 |
| Nov | 2984 | 2475 | 2679 | 2339.2 |
| Dec | 2983 | 2474 | 2679 | 2509.8 |
| Year | 3087 | 2374 | 2780 | 2,27690 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88% | 87% | 4.5 | 11:56 |
| Feb | 86% | 81% | 4.9 | 12:00 |
| Mar | 85% | 83% | 5.2 | 12:05 |
| Apr | 85% | 88% | 5.0 | 12:12 |
| May | 84% | 90% | 4.8 | 12:17 |
| Jun | 83% | 86% | 4.9 | 12:20 |
| Jul | 83% | 88% | 4.8 | 12:18 |
| Aug | 84% | 91% | 4.8 | 12:14 |
| Sep | 85% | 93% | 4.6 | 12:08 |
| Oct | 87% | 94% | 4.4 | 12:02 |
| Nov | 88% | 95% | 4.2 | 11:57 |
| Dec | 89% | 92% | 4.1 | 11:55 |
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 Medan is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 30 °C87 °F and a low of 25 °C76 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 29 °C84 °F and lows 23 °C74 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 1.6 °C2.8 °F.
It is very wet, receiving about 2,276 mm90 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is September–November, which brings 35% of the annual total. The wettest month is October (310 mm12 in), the driest is February (90 mm3.6 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 83% in July to 89% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 81%) are typical of February. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (2 mph) in May to 5 km/h (3 mph) in January.
Best time to visit Medan
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are February. Average highs then reach 29 °C85 °F to 29 °C85 °F. Precipitation is 90 mm3.6 in to 90 mm3.6 in per month.
The most challenging month is October, which is very wet (310 mm12 in) and humid (87% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an ideal. That means 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.
Medan weather by month
- January29 °C84 °F / 23 °C74 °F
- February29 °C85 °F / 23 °C74 °F
- March30 °C86 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- April30 °C86 °F / 24 °C76 °F
- May30 °C87 °F / 25 °C76 °F
- June30 °C86 °F / 24 °C76 °F
- July30 °C86 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- August30 °C86 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- September30 °C85 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- October29 °C85 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- November29 °C84 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- December29 °C83 °F / 24 °C74 °F
What to pack for Medan
- Wetter months (May, August–December) — highs 2983 to 30 °C87 °F, lows 2474 to 25 °C76 °F, about 242 mm9.5 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–April, June and July) — highs 2984 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 2374 to 24 °C76 °F, about 137 mm5.4 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 Medan compares
World Climates covers 110 places in Indonesia. By annual mean temperature, Medan is the 68th warmest of them. By annual precipitation, it is the 56th wettest. See all of them on the Indonesia climate page.
Some places in other countries have a very similar pattern of temperature and rainfall. The closest matches are Kluang (Malaysia, Af), Batu Pahat (Malaysia, Af) and Ipoh (Malaysia, Af).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Percut (pop. 311,063), Binjai (pop. 279,302), Sunggal (pop. 157,914) and Perbaungan (pop. 157,174). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Medan, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Climate in Belawan 21 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,477 mm98 in
- Climate in Tebingtinggi 62 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,334 mm92 in
- Climate in Pematangsiantar 82 km · 24 °C76 °F · 2,724 mm107 in
- Climate in Langsa 125 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,347 mm92 in
- Climate in Subulussalam 134 km · 27 °C80 °F · 3,173 mm125 in
- Climate in Tanjungbalai 143 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,627 mm103 in
- Climate in Rantauprapat 210 km · 26 °C79 °F · 3,879 mm153 in
- Climate in Sitiawan 236 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,519 mm99 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Medan?
May is the warmest month in Medan. Its average high is 30 °C (87 °F) and its average low is 25 °C (76 °F).
What is the coldest month in Medan?
January is the coldest month. Its average high is 29 °C (84 °F) and its average low is 23 °C (74 °F).
When does it rain the most in Medan?
October is the wettest month with about 310 mm (12.2 in) of precipitation. February is the driest with about 90 mm (3.6 in).
What is the best time to visit Medan?
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. The gaps are largest 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 174 m, while Medan lies at about 26 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1 °C1.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.