Tawau climate
Tawau (Malaysia) has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). The average temperature over the year is 28 °C82 °F, and about 2,490 mm98 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Tawau climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2882 | 2679 | 2781 | 2178.5 |
| Feb | 2883 | 2679 | 2781 | 1465.8 |
| Mar | 2983 | 2780 | 2882 | 2048.0 |
| Apr | 2984 | 2781 | 2883 | 2078.1 |
| May | 2984 | 2882 | 2883 | 2218.7 |
| Jun | 2883 | 2781 | 2882 | 2068.1 |
| Jul | 2882 | 2781 | 2882 | 2098.2 |
| Aug | 2883 | 2781 | 2882 | 2198.6 |
| Sep | 2883 | 2781 | 2882 | 1696.6 |
| Oct | 2883 | 2781 | 2882 | 2148.4 |
| Nov | 2883 | 2781 | 2882 | 2188.6 |
| Dec | 2883 | 2780 | 2882 | 26110 |
| Year | 2984 | 2679 | 2882 | 2,49098 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84% | 82% | 4.5 | 11:54 |
| Feb | 83% | 75% | 5.0 | 11:59 |
| Mar | 81% | 74% | 5.3 | 12:05 |
| Apr | 80% | 70% | 5.3 | 12:12 |
| May | 81% | 78% | 5.1 | 12:19 |
| Jun | 82% | 81% | 4.8 | 12:22 |
| Jul | 83% | 81% | 4.9 | 12:21 |
| Aug | 83% | 77% | 5.1 | 12:15 |
| Sep | 82% | 79% | 5.1 | 12:08 |
| Oct | 81% | 82% | 4.9 | 12:01 |
| Nov | 82% | 80% | 4.8 | 11:55 |
| Dec | 83% | 80% | 4.6 | 11:53 |
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 Tawau is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 29 °C84 °F and a low of 28 °C82 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 28 °C82 °F and lows 26 °C79 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 1.1 °C2 °F.
It is very wet, receiving about 2,490 mm98 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is December (261 mm10 in), the driest is February (146 mm5.8 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 80% in April to 84% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 70%) are typical of April. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in May to 11 km/h (7 mph) in February.
Best time to visit Tawau
No month comes close to our comfort ideal here. The least demanding months are February, July and September (average highs 28 °C83 °F, 28 °C82 °F and 28 °C83 °F).
The most challenging month is December, which is very wet (261 mm10 in) and humid (83% 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 Tawau
- Wetter months (October–January, May, July and August) — highs 2882 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 2679 to 28 °C82 °F, about 223 mm8.8 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–April, June, September) — highs 2883 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 2679 to 27 °C81 °F, about 186 mm7.3 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 Tawau compares
Compared with Sandakan, about 179 km to the north, Tawau is on average 0.5 °C1 °F warmer and receives 14% less precipitation (2,490 mm98 in vs 2,886 mm114 in). The difference is largest in February (0.8 °C1.4 °F warmer).
Of the 32 places in Malaysia covered by World Climates, Tawau is the 5th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 21st 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: Tarakan (Indonesia, Af), Mati (Philippines, Af) and Tanjung Pinang (Indonesia, Af).
Nearby places
- Lahad Datu 99 km · 27 °C80 °F · 2,620 mm103 in
- Tarakan 109 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,897 mm114 in
- Sandakan 179 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,886 mm114 in
- Kota Kinabalu 279 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,716 mm107 in
- Bandar Seri Begawan 335 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,989 mm118 in
- Jolo 399 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,566 mm62 in
- Miri 433 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,891 mm114 in
- Bontang 459 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,192 mm86 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Tawau?
May is the warmest month in Tawau, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 28 °C (82 °F).
What is the coldest month in Tawau?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of 26 °C (79 °F).
When does it rain the most in Tawau?
December is the wettest month with about 261 mm (10.3 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 146 mm (5.8 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.