Kota Kinabalu & Sabah’s Weather

What’s the weather like in Kota Kinabalu? When is the weather the best for Sabah? Will is rain in KK when I’m there?  Find out here.

These are common questions asked by travellers who are travelling to Kota Kinabalu and Sabah and desperately want to know what weather is going to do while they’re here.

Kota Kinabalu & Sabaha’s Weather Quick Facts

The Heat is On

Sabah is located in the tropics not too far from the equator between about 4 N and 7N. The weather is constant year-round, as it’s always hot, it’s always humid and when it rains, it rains hard.

Temperatures hover in the 30 – 32 degrees Celsius range. On an exceptionally hot day the temperature may raise a little higher, and during cool nights in certain areas, it may drop to as low as 24 degrees. Brrrr!

In the mountainous regions and more temperate parts of Sabah, it can get as cold as 15 degrees Celsius at night, but the coldest place in Sabah is the peak of Mt. Kinabalu, which at 4,095m above sea level, can touch zero.

Mt. Kinabalu in general has a climate of its own, and what is true for Kota Kinabalu or Sabah isn’t necessarily true for Mt. Kinabalu.

The Wet Season & The Not-so-wet Season

Apart from perpetual summer, there’s two other seasons in Sabah: the season that it’s expected to rain, called the wet season, and another season where it’s expected to rain, but not as much as in the wet season, called the dry season.

Sabah is mostly unaffected by adverse weather patterns prolific in the rest of the region, thanks to being just below the typhoon and monsoon belt. This is also the reason Sabah is sometimes referred to as “The Land Below the Wind”.

However, Sabah’s wet season is observed from November to April, during the northeast monsoon in Peninsular Malaysia. Although Peninsular Malaysia is heavily affected, only Sabah’s exposed northeast coast experiences increased rainfall during this time. Behind the protection of the Crocker Range mountains, the interior of Sabah is relatively unaffected and rainfall remains fairly evenly distributed.

It is generally perceived that during Sabah’s wet season, it may rain twice a day and during Sabah’s dry season, it may rain once a day. Global warming has not spared Sabah and the accuracy of weather predictions are inconsistent, making rainy days hard to predict.

But rest assured, hardly ever a whole day is spoiled by rain, as downpours last between 1 and 2 hours and can most often be expected in the afternoon or evening. Rain also makes the jungle lively and the forest critters energetic. After all, Borneo is a rainforest.

Let the Sun Shine on Me

Sabah has no short supply of sunny days on which the tropical sun will burn bright and high in the sky. However, as a topical location with high humidity, you will rarely experience a full day with only clear, blue skies.

Patches of blue are always prolific though and most days start out sunny and blue skied, with cloud cover, if it will appear, rolling in towards afternoon. That’s a good thing though, as Sabah’s famous sunsets need a little cloud cover to be truly spectacular.

On days where there appears to be total cloud cover, there is still a sunburn risk, perhaps even greater, so remember to regularly apply sunblock and cover up. Cloudy days are not persistent though, and many consecutive days of total cloud cover is uncommon.

And what time does the sun rise and set in Kota Kinabalu & Sabah?

Being close to the equator, slightly in the northern hemisphere, sunrise and sunset in Sabah varies very little.  In the northern hempisphere’s summer sunrise can occur as early as 5.45am and sunset as late as 6.40pm.

During the northern hempishpere’s winter, sunrise can occur as late as 6.30am and sunset as early as 5.45pm.

All said Sabah is a year-round destination. The weather, if anything, contributes to her splendour rather than subtract from it and should be enjoyed as such. With plenty of indoor and outdoor activities to choose from, the weather’s impact on your holiday in Sabah will be negligible.