Malinau in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Malinau sees average daytime highs around 31°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 778 mm of rain over about 81 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 31°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Winter is Malinau's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Malinau has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Malinau's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 31°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 22°C
- Rainfall
- 778 mm
- 81 wet days
- Avg wind
- 3 km/h
- Travel score
- 2.7
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Malinau in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 31°C.
A typical winter day in Malinau reaches about 31°C and drops to 22°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Malinau
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 90 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Malinau weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30° / 22° | 250 | 27.4 | 11.8 | 2.8 |
| Feb | 31° / 22° | 220 | 24.7 | 11.9 | 2.7 |
| Mar | 31° / 22° | 275 | 28.9 | 12 | 2.5 |
| Apr | 31° / 23° | 282 | 28.5 | 12.1 | 2.4 |
| May | 31° / 23° | 315 | 29.7 | 12.2 | 2.3 |
| Jun | 31° / 22° | 267 | 27.6 | 12.2 | 2.5 |
| Jul | 31° / 22° | 266 | 27.8 | 12.2 | 2.6 |
| Aug | 31° / 22° | 274 | 28.1 | 12.1 | 2.5 |
| Sep | 31° / 22° | 284 | 28.2 | 12 | 2.4 |
| Oct | 31° / 22° | 304 | 29 | 11.9 | 2.4 |
| Nov | 31° / 22° | 288 | 28.7 | 11.8 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 31° / 22° | 308 | 29.3 | 11.8 | 2.5 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Malinau gets around 778 mm of rain over 81 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 3 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.7 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Malinau
In winter, Malinau overlaps 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.
Is winter a good time to visit Malinau?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Malinau.
What to pack for Malinau in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Malinau sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 81 days see rain.
UV index in Malinau in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 13 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 15 | Extreme |
| Apr | 15 | Extreme |
| May | 14 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 12 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
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.
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
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.