Malinau weather in December

In December, Malinau sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 308 mm of rain across 29.3 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of December to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Malinau's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Malinau's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
10th warmest
Overnight low
22°
10th coldest
Rainfall
308 mm
29.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:16 AM – 6:03 PM
Cloud cover
88%
12th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.5
out of 10

Malinau is capital of Malinau Regency, North Kalimantan Province, Indonesia.

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month.

A typical December day in Malinau reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13122
23122
33122
43122
53122
63122
73122
83122
93122
103122
113122
123122
133122
143122
153122
163122
173122
183122
193122
203122
213122
223122
233122
243122
253122
263122
273122
283122
293122
303022
313022

How December really feels in Malinau

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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 December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Malinau weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 22°25027.411.82.8
Feb31° / 22°22024.711.92.7
Mar31° / 22°27528.9122.5
Apr31° / 23°28228.512.12.4
May31° / 23°31529.712.22.3
Jun31° / 22°26727.612.22.5
Jul31° / 22°26627.812.22.6
Aug31° / 22°27428.112.12.5
Sep31° / 22°28428.2122.4
Oct31° / 22°3042911.92.4
Nov31° / 22°28828.711.82.3
Dec31° / 22°30829.311.82.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 90%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11189
21189
31189
41189
51189
61189
71189
81189
91288
101288
111288
121288
131189
141189
151189
161189
171090
181090
19991
20991
21892
22892
23892
24793
25694
26694
27694
28694
29892
30892
31892

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Malinau gets around 308 mm of rain over 29.3 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 95% and peaks near 96% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
195
295
395
495
595
695
794
894
994
1094
1194
1295
1395
1495
1595
1695
1796
1896
1996
2096
2196
2296
2395
2495
2595
2694
2794
2893
2993
3092
3192

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 86% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
108317
208317
308317
408317
508317
608416
708416
808416
908515
1008515
1108515
1208614
1308614
1408614
1508713
1608713
1708713
1808812
1908812
2008812
2108812
2208812
2308911
2418811
2518811
2618811
2718910
2818910
2928810
302899
312899

Wind in December

Winds average 3 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of December to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:09 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 5:57 PM to 6:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:095:57
211.86:095:58
311.86:105:58
411.86:105:59
511.86:115:59
611.86:115:59
711.86:126:00
811.86:126:00
911.86:136:00
1011.86:136:01
1111.86:146:01
1211.86:146:02
1311.86:146:02
1411.86:156:03
1511.86:156:03
1611.86:166:03
1711.86:166:04
1811.86:176:04
1911.86:176:05
2011.86:186:05
2111.86:186:06
2211.86:196:06
2311.86:196:07
2411.86:206:07
2511.86:206:08
2611.86:216:08
2711.86:216:09
2811.86:216:09
2911.86:226:10
3011.86:226:10
3111.86:236:11

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.45 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.45 kWh/m² to a high of 5.34 kWh/m² in September across the year — December's 4.45 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Malinau

In seasonPeak

In December, Malinau sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Malinau sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Pacific typhoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Malinau?

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

2.5
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Malinau.

What to pack for Malinau in December

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

In December, Malinau sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 29 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in Malinau in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Malinau peaks around February 22 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 14 at about 12 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 22UV 15Jul 14UV 12
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Malinau?

Malinau sits at 3.6°N, 116.6°E, 5 m above sea level, in Indonesia. The nearest listed city is Tarakan, 112 km away.

Topography around Malinau

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Malinau has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 91 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 555 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,829 m.

The land around Malinau is covered by trees (64%) within 3 km, trees (95%) within 16 km, and trees (96%) within 80 km.

3 km
91 m
16 km
555 m
80 km
1,829 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
December weather nearby: Tarakan 112 km · Tanjung Selor 117 km · Nunukan 129 km · Tawau 158 km · Bandar Nabawan 163 km · Lawas 195 km · Keningau 201 km · Sipitang 204 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 Malinau (3.5886°, 116.6239°, elevation 5 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).