Tarakan climate
Tarakan (Indonesia) has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). The average temperature over the year is 28 °C82 °F, and about 2,897 mm114 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Tarakan climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2984 | 2577 | 2781 | 2439.6 |
| Feb | 2984 | 2577 | 2781 | 1827.2 |
| Mar | 3085 | 2678 | 2882 | 26711 |
| Apr | 3086 | 2680 | 2883 | 2519.9 |
| May | 3085 | 2780 | 2883 | 27811 |
| Jun | 2985 | 2679 | 2882 | 2218.7 |
| Jul | 2984 | 2678 | 2781 | 2268.9 |
| Aug | 2984 | 2678 | 2781 | 2138.4 |
| Sep | 2985 | 2679 | 2882 | 2168.5 |
| Oct | 2985 | 2679 | 2882 | 2489.8 |
| Nov | 2985 | 2679 | 2882 | 25810 |
| Dec | 2984 | 2678 | 2781 | 29512 |
| Year | 3086 | 2577 | 2882 | 2,897114 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82% | 80% | 4.6 | 11:57 |
| Feb | 81% | 73% | 5.2 | 12:01 |
| Mar | 79% | 71% | 5.2 | 12:05 |
| Apr | 79% | 66% | 5.4 | 12:11 |
| May | 80% | 69% | 5.2 | 12:16 |
| Jun | 81% | 75% | 4.9 | 12:19 |
| Jul | 82% | 75% | 4.9 | 12:18 |
| Aug | 82% | 70% | 5.3 | 12:13 |
| Sep | 81% | 73% | 5.3 | 12:08 |
| Oct | 80% | 75% | 5.0 | 12:02 |
| Nov | 81% | 75% | 4.9 | 11:58 |
| Dec | 82% | 78% | 4.7 | 11:56 |
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 Tarakan is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 30 °C85 °F and a low of 27 °C80 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 29 °C84 °F and lows 25 °C77 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 1.2 °C2.1 °F.
It is very wet, receiving about 2,897 mm114 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is December (295 mm12 in), the driest is February (182 mm7.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 79% in April to 82% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 66%) are typical of April. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in November to 9 km/h (6 mph) in February.
Best time to visit Tarakan
No month comes close to our comfort ideal here. The least demanding months are February, August and September (average highs 29 °C84 °F, 29 °C84 °F and 29 °C85 °F).
The most challenging month is December, which is very wet (295 mm12 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 Tarakan
- Wetter months (October–January, March–May) — highs 2984 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 2577 to 27 °C80 °F, about 263 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, June–September) — highs around 29 °C84 °F, lows 2577 to 26 °C79 °F, about 211 mm8.3 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.
How Tarakan compares
Compared with Tawau, about 109 km to the north, Tarakan has practically the same average temperature and receives 16% more precipitation (2,897 mm114 in vs 2,490 mm98 in).
Of the 110 places in Indonesia covered by World Climates, Tarakan is the 30th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 14th 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: Palikir (Micronesia, Af), Tawau (Malaysia, Af) and Kampung Baru Subang (Malaysia, Af).
Nearby places
- Tawau 109 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,490 mm98 in
- Lahad Datu 207 km · 27 °C80 °F · 2,620 mm103 in
- Sandakan 287 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,886 mm114 in
- Kota Kinabalu 340 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,716 mm107 in
- Bandar Seri Begawan 342 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,989 mm118 in
- Bontang 354 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,192 mm86 in
- Miri 417 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,891 mm114 in
- Samarinda 426 km · 26 °C78 °F · 2,449 mm96 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Tarakan?
May is the warmest month in Tarakan, with an average high of 30 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 27 °C (80 °F).
What is the coldest month in Tarakan?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
When does it rain the most in Tarakan?
December is the wettest month with about 295 mm (11.6 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 182 mm (7.2 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.