Penang weather by month & the best time to visit
🇲🇾 Malaysia · major coastal city · tropical rainforest climate
The best time to visit Penang is February — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 81/100), with January close behind. Penang averages about 2,276 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 30°C / 86°F and roughly 62 mm of rain in February.
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- Sun hours / year
- 2,276
- Sunniest month
- February
- Peak score
- 81/100
- Rain / year
- 2,355 mm
- Midday UV at peak
- 11 (extreme)
- Sea at warmest
- 32°C / 90°F
- Population
- 2.5M
- Elevation
- Sea level
When is the best time to visit Penang?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Penang is February, then January. The dullest month is March (65/100, 146 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Penang?
Penang gets a moderate 2,276 hours of sunshine a year. February (81/100) is noticeably better than March (65). It ranks #9 of 34 destinations in Malaysia for annual sunshine, above the national median of 2,210 hours. The year's 2,355 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 | 75 | 29° / 84°F | 26° / 79°F | 93 mm | 9 | 31° / 88°F |
| February | 81 | 30° / 86°F | 26° / 79°F | 62 mm | 11 | 32° / 90°F |
| March | 65 | 30° / 86°F | 27° / 81°F | 146 mm | 11 | 32° / 90°F |
| April | 65 | 30° / 86°F | 28° / 82°F | 200 mm | 11 | 32° / 90°F |
| May | 65 | 30° / 86°F | 28° / 82°F | 242 mm | 9 | 32° / 90°F |
| June | 65 | 30° / 86°F | 28° / 82°F | 176 mm | 9 | 31° / 88°F |
| July | 65 | 29° / 84°F | 28° / 82°F | 203 mm | 9 | 31° / 88°F |
| August | 65 | 29° / 84°F | 28° / 82°F | 219 mm | 9 | 31° / 88°F |
| September | 65 | 29° / 84°F | 27° / 81°F | 263 mm | 9 | 31° / 88°F |
| October | 65 | 29° / 84°F | 27° / 81°F | 303 mm | 9 | 31° / 88°F |
| November | 65 | 29° / 84°F | 27° / 81°F | 271 mm | 9 | 31° / 88°F |
| December | 65 | 29° / 84°F | 27° / 81°F | 177 mm | 8 | 30° / 86°F |
Sea temperature in Penang by month
The sea off Penang is warmest in February at around 32°C / 90°F, and coolest in December at 30°C / 86°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 Penang on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Langkawi Malaysia · 130 km · best in Feb · 2,350 h sun/yr
- Hat Yai Thailand · 182 km · best in Feb · 2,253 h sun/yr
- Medan Indonesia · 241 km · best in Feb · 1,944 h sun/yr
- Kota Baharu Malaysia · 243 km · best in Feb · 2,337 h sun/yr
- Trang Thailand · 257 km · best in Feb · 2,251 h sun/yr
- Subang Malaysia · 279 km · best in Jan · 2,038 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Alor Setar Malaysia · 100 km · 2,253 h sun/yr · best in Feb
- Pangkor Malaysia · 121 km · 2,301 h sun/yr · best in Jun
- Ipoh Malaysia · 121 km · 2,105 h sun/yr · best in Feb
Head-to-head
How Penang compares month by month: Penang vs Medan · Penang vs Subang · Penang vs Kota Baharu · Penang vs Hat Yai · all comparisons
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