Kota Kinabalu weather by month & the best time to visit
🇲🇾 Malaysia · coastal city break · tropical rainforest climate
The best time to visit Kota Kinabalu is February — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 74/100), with March and April close behind. Kota Kinabalu averages about 2,194 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 30°C / 86°F and roughly 98 mm of rain in February.
Jump to: month-by-month table · sea temperature · nearby alternatives · embed this data
- Sun hours / year
- 2,194
- Sunniest month
- February
- Peak score
- 74/100
- Rain / year
- 2,715 mm
- Midday UV at peak
- 10 (very high)
- Sea at warmest
- 31°C / 88°F
- Population
- 528k
- Elevation
- Sea level
When is the best time to visit Kota Kinabalu?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Kota Kinabalu is February, then March and April. The dullest month is January (64/100, 197 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Kota Kinabalu?
Kota Kinabalu gets a moderate 2,194 hours of sunshine a year. Conditions barely change through the year — only 10 Sunshine Score points separate February from January. It ranks #18 of 34 destinations in Malaysia for annual sunshine, below the national median of 2,210 hours. The year's 2,715 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64 | 29° / 84°F | 25° / 77°F | 197 mm | 8 | 30° / 86°F |
| February | 74 | 30° / 86°F | 24° / 75°F | 98 mm | 10 | 29° / 84°F |
| March | 69 | 30° / 86°F | 25° / 77°F | 123 mm | 10 | 29° / 84°F |
| April | 66 | 31° / 88°F | 26° / 79°F | 138 mm | 10 | 31° / 88°F |
| May | 64 | 31° / 88°F | 26° / 79°F | 218 mm | 10 | 31° / 88°F |
| June | 64 | 30° / 86°F | 26° / 79°F | 263 mm | 9 | 31° / 88°F |
| July | 64 | 30° / 86°F | 26° / 79°F | 259 mm | 9 | 31° / 88°F |
| August | 64 | 30° / 86°F | 26° / 79°F | 239 mm | 10 | 31° / 88°F |
| September | 64 | 30° / 86°F | 25° / 77°F | 272 mm | 10 | 30° / 86°F |
| October | 64 | 30° / 86°F | 25° / 77°F | 356 mm | 9 | 30° / 86°F |
| November | 64 | 30° / 86°F | 26° / 79°F | 282 mm | 9 | 31° / 88°F |
| December | 64 | 30° / 86°F | 25° / 77°F | 270 mm | 8 | 30° / 86°F |
Sea temperature in Kota Kinabalu by month
The sea off Kota Kinabalu is warmest in April at around 31°C / 88°F, and coolest in February at 29°C / 84°F. The water sits at a comfortable 21°C or warmer roughly all year round. Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
See Kota Kinabalu on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei · 166 km · best in Feb · 2,273 h sun/yr
- Miri Malaysia · 290 km · best in Jan · 2,300 h sun/yr
- Tawau Malaysia · 292 km · best in Jan · 2,411 h sun/yr
- Tarakan Indonesia · 335 km · best in Jan · 2,242 h sun/yr
- Tanjung Redeb - Borneo Island Indonesia · 448 km · best in Aug · 1,997 h sun/yr
- Puerto Princesa Philippines · 518 km · best in Feb · 2,258 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Labuan Malaysia · 113 km · 2,476 h sun/yr · best in Feb
- Lawas Malaysia · 140 km · 2,164 h sun/yr · best in Feb
- Kudat Malaysia · 140 km · 2,260 h sun/yr · best in Apr
- Limbang Malaysia · 170 km · 2,164 h sun/yr · best in Feb
- Sandakan Malaysia · 222 km · 2,225 h sun/yr · best in Apr
Head-to-head
How Kota Kinabalu compares month by month: Kota Kinabalu vs Tawau · Kota Kinabalu vs Miri · Kota Kinabalu vs Tarakan · Kota Kinabalu vs Bandar Seri Begawan · all comparisons
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