Kota Kinabalu weather in May
In May, Kota Kinabalu has daytime highs averaging 29 °C, nights around 25 °C, with 25 wet days, and a sea temperature of 30 °C. Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
- 29.4°C Average high
- 24.7°C Average low
- 25days Wet days
- 237mm Rainfall
- 30.0°C Sea temperature
- 12h Daylight
Daily temperatures through May
How May develops
Averages for the first, middle and last part of the month, from daily 1991–2020 normals. Chance of rain is the share of years in which that calendar day recorded more than 1 mm.
| Days | Avg high | Avg low | Chance of rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–10 May | 29.3 °C | 24.9 °C | 84 % |
| 11–20 May | 29.4 °C | 24.8 °C | 80 % |
| 21–31 May | 29.4 °C | 24.6 °C | 77 % |
- Rain is most likely over days 1–10 of May (84 % of days) and least likely over days 21–31 (77 %).
What to expect
| Measure | Typical May | Share of the month |
|---|---|---|
| Days above 25 °C | 31 of 31 | 100 % |
| Days above 30 °C | 8.3 of 31 | 27 % |
| Days below 0 °C | 0 of 31 | 0 % |
| Days with more than 1 mm rain | 25 of 31 | 81 % |
Conditions in May
| Measure | Average |
|---|---|
| Mean temperature | 27 °C |
| Record high (1991–2020) | 34 °C |
| Record low (1991–2020) | 23 °C |
| Relative humidity | 86 % |
| Wind speed | 8.0 km/h |
| Cloud cover | 83 % |
Where Kota Kinabalu ranks in May
| Ranking | Position | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Warmest sea temperatures in Asia in May | 48thof 50 | 30 °C |
| Warmest sea temperatures in the world in May | 50thof 50 | 30 °C |
May compared with the months around it
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 28.8 °C | 169 mm | 72 % |
| April | 29.3 °C | 194 mm | 73 % |
| May | 29.4 °C | 237 mm | 83 % |
| June | 29.3 °C | 218 mm | 86 % |
| July | 29.1 °C | 188 mm | 86 % |
See all twelve months for Kota Kinabalu
- May is the warmest month in Kota Kinabalu.
- It is the 9th driest month of the year.
- It ranks 5th for least cloud cover.
- Days last about 12 hours from sunrise to sunset.
- It rains on 25 of 31 days — 81 % of the month.
- Nights are about 4.6 °C cooler than the middle of the day.
- The hottest May day on record since 1991 reached 34 °C, 4.3 °C above the usual daytime high.
- Beach score: 64 / 100 — see how this is calculated.
Nearby destinations in May
| Destination | Avg high | Wet days | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kota Kinabalu | 29 °C | 25 | 30 |
| Bandar Seri Begawan | 30 °C | 23 | 30 |
| Sandakan | 30 °C | 28 | 30 |
| Tawau | 29 °C | 29 | 30 |
| Miri | 30 °C | 24 | 30 |
| Tarakan | 29 °C | 29 | 30 |
| Bintulu | 31 °C | 26 | 30 |
| Puerto Princesa | 30 °C | 25 | 30 |
QuestionsMay in Kota Kinabalu, answered
How warm is Kota Kinabalu in May?
Daily highs average 29 °C and nights fall to about 25 °C, a spread of 4.6 °C between afternoon and dawn. That makes May the 1st warmest month of the year here.
Does it rain much in Kota Kinabalu in May?
May averages 237 mm of rain, spread over about 25 of the 31 days — 81 % of the month. Cloud cover averages 83 % of the sky.
Is the sea warm enough to swim in May?
The sea averages 30 °C off Kota Kinabalu in May. Most people find water below 20 °C bracing and above 25 °C comfortable for a long swim; this figure is a monthly surface average, so a sheltered bay on a still afternoon can be warmer.
How long are the days in May?
Kota Kinabalu averages 12 hours between sunrise and sunset in May. Day length is computed from latitude and date, so it is exact rather than modelled — but it says nothing about how much of that time is sunny.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: daylight hours, beach and comfort scores, monthly rankings, threshold day counts, chance of a wet day by date, ten-day averages within the month. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.