Climate and Weather of Malaysia
Malaysia has a tropical rain forest climate with high temperatures and significant amounts of rainfall throughout the year. You can expect maximum daytime temperatures of between 26°C and 33°C and minimum nighttime temperatures that range between 20°C and 26°C in much of the country. Because of the heat and large amounts of rain, you can expect high humidity in most places.The only exception is the mountainous interior of western Malaysia. In the popular Cameron Highlands, at an altitude of about 1400-1500 meters (4593 - 4921 ft), daytime temperatures average between 20°C and 24°C and it gets a lot cooler at night with minima of 12°C to 18°C.
The main rainy season in the east of Malaysia runs between November and February, while August is the wettest period on the west coast. During this period, it rains almost every day for long periods and monthly totals locally average 400 mm to sometimes nearly 600 mm of precipitation. The number of hours of sunshine during this period is therefore limited to an average of only four hours per day.
In the west rain is spread out more evenly throughout the year, but the southwest monsoon prevails from May through October. The rainy season here takes a different form with most of the rain falling in the late afternoon and at night.
There is no best travel time that applies to the whole country, but if we have to choose June through early September would the best travel time for Malaysia. However the months July and August are also high season, these are the most expensive months to travel to Malaysia.
Are you interested in more detailed information for various cities in Malaysia?
Please select the city you plan to visit, or one closest to your destination. For each selected city, you will see the following graphs:
1. Yearly average minimum and maximum temperatures
2. Monthly averages of precipitation throughout the year (rainfall, snow etc)
3. Monthly average hours of sunshine throughout the year
Additionally, some pages provide historical weather data such as humidity, wind speed, and water temperature.