Kota Kinabalu weather in January
January in Kota Kinabalu: sweltering, soaked, with clean air — a gamble, with 24 rainy days.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#8 of 12 months in Kota Kinabalu · #1140 of 1413 destinations to visit in January · comfort 50/100 (tier D)
- Days
- 31°C
- Nights
- 24°C
- Wet days
- 24
- Sun
- 8.8 h
- Humidity
- 89%
- Daylight
- 12 h
Traveller notes on Kota Kinabalu in January
Other months in Kota Kinabalu
Forum posters describe August as capable of being genuinely rainy in Kota Kinabalu, with the wetter pattern sometimes spilling into September, though posters note short afternoon showers actually provide welcome relief from what would otherwise be an uncomfortably hot afternoon. Posters describe the typical daily rhythm as hot, dry mornings, clouds building around midday, a burst of rain for 30-60 minutes in early afternoon, then clear skies again in time for sunset - with rain often spotty enough that one part of the coast stays dry while a visible storm passes over the sea nearby. Posters flag July and August as peak season for visitors from Northern Asia, meaning bigger crowds despite the wetter weather. Posters generally rate August as hot, humid and rain-prone but rarely disruptive for Kota Kinabalu, the predictable afternoon shower pattern easy to plan around.
February really is Kota Kinabalu's driest month — the record confirms the forum's claim exactly, at 18 rain-days against 28 or more in November and December. What it does not mean is dry: eighteen wet days is most of the month, arriving as heavy short downpours and the odd thunderstorm with plenty of sunshine in between, and posters describe forty-five minutes of rain, then sun, then rain again. Temperatures barely move — 28 to 32°C by day and rarely below 24 at night, with the sea at 29. Mid-December to February is peak travel season in Sabah.
Add your own note from Kota Kinabalu's card on the map.
Kota Kinabalu climate normals — January
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Kota Kinabalu in January
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
BusyChristmas and New Year, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Kota Kinabalu's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherKota Kinabalu's weather doesn't swing hard through the year — comfort stays fairly steady in every month.
What's on in Kota Kinabalu in January
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Rule
Mount Kinabalu climb permit
1 Jan – 31 DecBook earlySabah Parks caps the summit climb at about 130 people a day, tied to beds in the mountain huts, and an accredited guide is compulsory. Peak weeks go months ahead. Source ↗
- Season
Northeast monsoon swell
1 Nov – 28 Feb · usuallyClosuresThe wind swings onshore and the crossings to the islands get called off on the rough days. It is also when the sunsets people come to the waterfront for are most often behind cloud.
- Holiday
Christmas and New Year
18 Dec – 2 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedClosuresSabah keeps Christmas properly — a state where a third of the population is Christian — and the city is on holiday twice over with the school break running through it. Source ↗
- Season
Wet season
MonsoonRisk24 rainy days and about 305 mm in the month — the real kind of rainy season, not afternoon showers.
from the climate normals
Where is Kota Kinabalu?
Kota Kinabalu in January — FAQ
- Is January a good time to visit Kota Kinabalu?
- January in Kota Kinabalu: sweltering, soaked, with clean air — a gamble, with 24 rainy days. It ranks #8 of 12 months for Kota Kinabalu on SeasonMap's comfort score (50/100).
- What is the weather like in Kota Kinabalu in January?
- In January, Kota Kinabalu averages a daily high of 31.4°C and a low of 23.9°C, with about 305 mm of rain over roughly 24.3 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Kota Kinabalu in January?
- Kota Kinabalu has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 34 in January.