Balikpapan weather in January

In January, Balikpapan sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 255 mm of rain across 27.5 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Balikpapan's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Balikpapan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
8th warmest
Overnight low
25°
1st coldest
Rainfall
255 mm
27.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:20 AM – 6:24 PM
Cloud cover
91%
11th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Balikpapan is city in East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia.

Density
1,319/km²
people per km²
Founded
1897

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month.

A typical January day in Balikpapan reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13025
23025
33025
43025
53025
63025
73025
83025
93025
103025
113025
123025
133025
143025
153025
163025
173025
183025
193025
203025
213025
223025
233025
243025
253025
263025
273025
283025
293025
303025
313025

How January really feels in Balikpapan

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Balikpapan weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 25°25527.512.12.8
Feb30° / 25°22723.8122.9
Mar30° / 25°27127.8122.8
Apr30° / 25°26427.5122.7
May30° / 26°19827.611.92.9
Jun30° / 25°17224.911.93.2
Jul29° / 25°14222.411.93.7
Aug29° / 25°10117.9124.2
Sep30° / 25°10917124.1
Oct30° / 25°15822.3123.4
Nov30° / 25°21827.512.12.7
Dec30° / 25°26828.812.12.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 95%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1496
2496
3496
4496
5694
6694
7694
8694
9595
10595
11595
12595
13595
14496
15595
16595
17595
18595
19595
20595
21595
22595
23595
24595
25694
26694
27694
28694
29694
30694
31694

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Balikpapan gets around 255 mm of rain over 27.5 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 89% and peaks near 92% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
192
292
392
492
592
692
791
891
991
1091
1191
1291
1391
1490
1590
1690
1790
1889
1989
2088
2188
2287
2387
2486
2586
2686
2786
2886
2986
3086
3186

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels miserable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the miserable band about 89% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1892
2892
3991
4991
51090
61090
71090
81189
91189
101189
111189
121189
131189
141189
151189
161189
171189
181189
191189
201189
211189
221189
231189
241189
251189
261189
271189
281189
291189
301090
311090

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:14 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 6:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:146:18
212.16:146:18
312.16:156:19
412.16:156:19
512.16:156:20
612.16:166:20
712.16:166:21
812.16:176:21
912.16:176:21
1012.16:186:22
1112.16:186:22
1212.16:186:23
1312.16:196:23
1412.16:196:23
1512.16:206:24
1612.16:206:24
1712.16:206:24
1812.16:216:25
1912.16:216:25
2012.16:216:25
2112.16:226:25
2212.16:226:26
2312.16:226:26
2412.16:236:26
2512.16:236:27
2612.16:236:27
2712.16:236:27
2812.16:246:27
2912.16:246:27
3012.16:246:28
3112.16:246:28

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.71 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.45 kWh/m² to a high of 5.43 kWh/m² in September across the year — January's 4.71 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Balikpapan?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

2.8
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Balikpapan.

What to pack for Balikpapan in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Balikpapan sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Balikpapan in January

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in May at about 30°C and coldest in August near 28°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug28Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Balikpapan in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Balikpapan peaks around February 22 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 11 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 22UV 15Jul 10UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Balikpapan in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Balikpapan is worst in October — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (March, 11 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodOct 1321 µg/m³Mar 2411 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun11Good
Jul12Good
Aug13Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov12Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Balikpapan?

Balikpapan sits at 1.3°S, 116.8°E, 67 m above sea level, in Indonesia. The nearest listed city is Loa Janan, 82 km away.

Martapura

Topography around Balikpapan

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Balikpapan.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Balikpapan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m around an average of 17 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 123 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,262 m.

The land around Balikpapan is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and water (39%) within 3 km, water (50%) and trees (31%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and water (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
97 m
16 km
123 m
80 km
1,262 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
January weather nearby: Loa Janan 82 km · Samarinda 93 km · Bontang 172 km · Tanjung 187 km · Amuntai 217 km · Barabai 217 km · Muara Teweh 218 km · Martapura 323 km

Indonesia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,060
2025
Happiness
5.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
30%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.3
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
11.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 471
Religion
Muslim 87%Protestant 8%Roman Catholic 3%Hindu 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Balikpapan (-1.2675°, 116.8289°, elevation 67 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).