An easy introduction to
the Malaysia Weather

"Malaysia weather" was last updated on April 17, 2014
All information below is subject to change

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Wondering about the weather and climate in Malaysia?

Malaysia has generally two distinct seasons; dry season and wet season.

The dry season starts from May and ends in September. And the wet season is from November to March. But there are strong regional varieties in the country, especially between east and west Malay peninsula. Continue reading to find out more.

Remember that the weather is unpredictable! There's no way of telling how the weather turns out from day to day, year to year.

All temperatures written below are average temperatures.

Weather in
West Malay Peninsula

Kuala Lumpur

January-March: minimum 23°, maximum 32-33°

April-October: minimum 23-24°, maximum 32°

November-December: minimum 23°, maximum 31°

Heaviest rainfalls: April, October and November.

Source: weather.com

When I visited Kuala Lumpur in June 2009, the days were mostly overcast, and on my last day in late June, it rained the whole day and there were floods in the street. Even though it rained, it wasn't cold and the rain didn't last that long. Maybe an hour or two.

The weather was definitely better on the east coast at that time, whereas it was sunny and almost no clouds in the sky.

Malaysia weather: Rainy day in Kuala Lumpur - June

Pulau Langkawi

January-March: minimum 24.3°, maximum 33.2°

April-October: minimum 24.3°, maximum 32.3°

November-December: minimum 24.3°, maximum 31.3°

Heaviest rainfalls: August to October.

Source: worldweather.wmo.int

Wet season in Langkawi (which shares the same weather as the islands in south Thailand) usually means a good mixture of a few rain showers and sunshine. And sometimes there will be a longer rainy period, which cools the day down ;-)

Others who have been to Langkawi (in October) have reported that it has rained every day, but fortunately during the night.

Penang

January-March: minimum 24°, maximum 32°

April-October: minimum 24°, maximum 30-32°

November-December: minimum 24°, maximum 31°

Heaviest rainfalls: September and October

Source: weather.com

In Penang, it's humid all year round, normally hot during the day and rainy in the afternoon/evening.

There has been reports of smoke haze (when it's bad, the haze is more like a mist) coming from Indonesia in the months of June and July.

Pulau Pangkor

January-March: minimum 23°, maximum 32.6°

April-October: minimum 23.2°, maximum 32.9°

November-December: minimum 22.9°, maximum 31.4°

Heaviest rainfalls: October and November

Source: meoweather.com

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Weather in
East of Malay Peninsula

As a result of the southwestern monsoon, the east coast of Malaysia generally receives heavy rains and humidity from November to February. June and July are the driest months of the year.

Pulau Perhentians

January-March: minimum 24-25°, maximum 31°

April-May: minimum 24-25°, maximum 33°

June-August: minimum 22-23°, maximum 33°

September-December: minimum 22°, maximum 32°

Heaviest rainfalls: November and December

Source: myweather2.com

We visited the Perhentians in June 2009 and spent over a week there. Most days were clear skies, sunny and scorching hot. The other days were overcast, but the sun turned up later in the afternoon. Humidity is high on the Perhentians - that's for sure.

A sunny day on Perhentian Kecil in Malaysia

Malaysia weather: Perhentian Kecil and the beautiful weather

A couple of friends of mine traveled in Malaysia in November-December, and were planning on visiting the Perhentians. They hadn't done their research and some backpackers told them that it was not the best time to visit the islands because it was rainy.

If you're thinking about diving around the Perhentian islands, the average water temperature is 29°. The best time to dive is from March to October, but the visibility is hard to predict because dive conditions vary on daily basis.

Pulau Redang

January-March: minimum 23°, maximum 34°

April-May: minimum 24-25°, maximum 33°

June-August: minimum 24°, maximum 33°

September-December: minimum 24°, maximum 32-33°

Heaviest rainfalls: October-December

Source: worldweatheronline.com

Pulau Redang has an average temperature of 30°. During the monsoon season from November to end of February, resorts on the island will be closed and transport services don't operate. So, forget about celebrating Christmas and New Year's Eve on Redang island! ;-) Most of the resorts will re-open in March.

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Weather in Sabah, Borneo

Do you know why Sabah is called 'Land below the wind'?

It's called Land below the wind because it's just below the typhoon and monsoon belt, meaning it receives less rain compared to other parts of the country.

In Sabah, dry season typically runs from April to September and wet season from October to March.

But even if it rains, it doesn' last the whole day. Traveling during the wet season in Sabah is nice because the jungle would be greener, and the waterfalls more powerful. It makes the trekking experience a lot better! ;-)

January-March: minimum 23°, maximum 32.6°

April-May: minimum 23.8°, maximum 32.9°

June-August: minimum 23.2°, maximum 32.7°

September-December: minimum 22.9°, maximum 31.9°

Heaviest rainfalls: October-December

Absolute maximum temperatures (not average): 33.8° to 42° (42° in August)

Absolute minimum temperatures (not average): Between 11.3° to 21.1° (11.3° in July)

Source: meoweather.com

We visited Sabah in June 2009, and most of the time it was sunny and very hot. We spent a couple of days in KK (Kota Kinabalu) and the sun was shining every day. We headed for Semporna, and it was sunny 4 of 5 days.

Malaysia weather: Sunny and hot in Borneo

For divers, the temperature in the water was warm - I reckon 25-26° with great visibility around Sibuan island. The water was literally transparent - just beautiful!

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Final words about the
Malaysian weather

If you want to beach-bum most of your time in Malaysia, the best time for islands like Perhentians, Redang and Tioman would be between June-September. Diving around Sipadan island (near Borneo) around this time is also a good choice since the water temperature would be nice, and visbility is generally good.

If you're up for trekking in Borneo, it would be awesome to see the greenest version, and that would be during the wet season.

Just because it's the wet season, it doesn't mean it will rain every day the whole season. It varies a lot, but the rainfall usually lasts for a couple of hours.

Humidity in Malaysia is high all year - you have to deal with it one way or another.

You should drink loads of water and book a room with air-conditioner. You won't regret it ;-)