Kota Bharu Temperature by Month

Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia has a consistently very warm climate year-round, with daytime highs averaging 31°C (88°F). Below you'll find a full monthly breakdown and a comparison with cities worldwide.

In Kota Bharu temperatures are generally consistent throughout the year. Maximum daytime temperatures range from a comfortable 29°C (84°F) in January to a very warm 32°C (90°F) in May. Nighttime lows range from 26°C (79°F) in May to 25°C (77°F) in January.

The chart below illustrates the average maximum day and minimum night temperatures in Kota Bharu by month:

The minimum temperature is often recorded between 4 AM and 6 AM, while the highest temperature is usually reached at 3 PM, when the sun's heating effect is strongest. May, the warmest month, gets 199 hours of sunshine.

The chart below shows the average temperature throughout the year:

Kota Bharu's average annual maximum temperature is 31°C (88°F). To put that in context, here's how it compares to a few well-known destinations:

Lisbon, Portugal averages 21°C (70°F) annually, warm summers, mild winters, and rain mainly in the cooler months.

Glasgow, Scotland averages 13°C (55°F) a year, mild but often grey, with cold winters and rarely hot summers.

San Francisco, USA averages 19°C (66°F) annually, but with little seasonal variation, summers are often cool and foggy, winters mild.

Perth, Australia averages 25°C (77°F) annually, with a classic Mediterranean climate, hot dry summers and mild wet winters.

Temperature alone doesn't tell the whole story, humidity plays a big role in how warm or cold it actually feels. High humidity in summer makes the heat feel more intense, particularly once temperatures climb above 25°C. In winter, the same humidity can make cold air feel sharper than the thermometer suggests.

In Kota Bharu, January is the coolest month, with average highs of 29°C (84°F) and humidity around 84%, considered very high. In May, the warmest month, temperatures average 32°C (90°F) with 83% humidity, conditions that feel very high. For a full picture, see our humidity page.

Climate temperature data is typically calculated as a 30-year average. This smooths out year-to-year variability and gives a more reliable picture of what a place is actually like, rather than what happened in any single unusual year.

The readings come from a range of sources, land-based weather stations, ocean buoys, ships, and satellites. That data is collected by weather services around the world, then pooled, quality-checked, and averaged to produce the climate records you see here.

Seasonal temperature shifts influence more than just how warm it feels, they also drive changes in rainfall, cloud cover, and wind patterns throughout the year.

Warmer air holds more moisture, which tends to mean heavier or more frequent rain during the warmer months. When temperatures drop in winter, any precipitation that does fall is more likely to come as snow or sleet, though in Kota Bharu this rarely lasts long on the ground.

For more on Kota Bharu's weather, including monthly rainfall, sunshine hours, and humidity, visit our Kota Bharu climate page.