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Weather in January in Sabah

Planning a trip to Sabah this January? Here's what you need to know about the weather:

What is the weather like in Sabah in January?

Sabah is a region in Malaysia. January in Sabah generally has temperatures that range from warm to very warm, with heavy precipitation.

Temperatures

Based on our climate data spanning from 1990-2020, the average maximum temperature is warm in Ranau at 28°C to very warm in Bilit at 31°C. Nighttime temperatures generally drop to 23°C in Bilit and 19°C in Ranau.

For a closer look at conditions across Sabah, refer to the map below.

Precipitation

In January, precipitation varies across different areas. From heavy rainfall in Gaya Island with an average of 168 mm to heavy rainfall in Sepilok with 304 mm.

Average sunshine

The city Kota Kinabalu usually sees around 188 hours of sunlight, indicating a moderately sunny period.

For an in-depth overview of the yearly conditions, do visit our Sabah climate page.

Where to go in Sabah in January

Find more information for the most popular destinations in the Sabah on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more details.

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Legend perfect weather pleasant tolerable unpleasant poor
Perfect weather is subjective. On this map perfect weather has been defined with temperatures between 20°C and 29°C and not too much precipitation (less than 90 mm a month).

Select a Month of Interest

Check the conditions for any month of the year.

For a detailed overview over the year and the best time to visit Malaysia, check out our Sabah's climate page.

Popular destinations

What is the weather like in January for the 5 most popular destinations in Sabah?

Kota Kinabalu

In January Kota Kinabalu generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 29°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 24°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Kota Kinabalu
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
30°C 
25°C 
2,459 hours 
2495 mm 
216 days 
29°C 
24°C 
188 hours 
200 mm 
18 days 
29°C 
24°C 
196 hours 
158 mm 
13 days 
Climate in Kota Kinabalu

Sandakan

In January Sandakan generally has very high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 31°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 23°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Sandakan
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
33°C 
24°C 
2,476 hours 
3057 mm 
218 days 
31°C 
23°C 
251 hours 
296 mm 
24 days 
poor 
32°C 
23°C 
231 hours 
247 mm 
17 days 
poor 
Climate in Sandakan

Ranau

In January Ranau generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 28°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 19°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are tolerable that month.

Ranau
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
30°C 
19°C 
2,459 hours 
2199 mm 
235 days 
28°C 
19°C 
188 hours 
189 mm 
20 days 
29°C 
19°C 
196 hours 
152 mm 
15 days 
Climate in Ranau

Bilit

In January Bilit generally has very high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 31°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 23°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Bilit
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
33°C 
23°C 
2,476 hours 
2920 mm 
217 days 
31°C 
23°C 
251 hours 
273 mm 
24 days 
poor 
32°C 
23°C 
231 hours 
240 mm 
17 days 
poor 
Climate in Bilit

Sepilok

In January Sepilok generally has very high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 30°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 24°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Sepilok
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
32°C 
25°C 
2,476 hours 
2785 mm 
217 days 
30°C 
24°C 
251 hours 
304 mm 
24 days 
poor 
30°C 
24°C 
231 hours 
240 mm 
16 days 
poor 
Climate in Sepilok

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in Sabah, in Malaysia.

Is January the best time to visit Sabah?

Given the typically unpleasant weather conditions in Kota Kinabalu, January may not be the ideal time to visit Sabah.

Generally speaking, the best visiting conditions can be found in February offering mostly pleasant weather in Kota Kinabalu. In contrast, May, June, September, October and November tend to have poor weather conditions.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in Sabah.

Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to Malaysia? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in Malaysia.

Not sure yet where to go? We now have a tool which recommends destinations that suit your ideal travel conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.