Alor Setar weather in January

In January, Alor Setar sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 53 mm of rain across 9.3 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-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 19% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Alor Setar's 3rd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Alor Setar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
25°
1st coldest
Rainfall
53 mm
9.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
7:37 AM – 7:18 PM
Cloud cover
68%
3rd clearest
Wind
13 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Alor Setar is state capital of Kedah, Malaysia.

Density
2,611/km²
people per km²
Founded
1735

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 Alor Setar 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 29°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than 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
173125
183125
193125
203125
213125
223125
233125
243125
253125
263125
273125
283125
293125
303125
313125

How January really feels in Alor Setar

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.

Alor Setar weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 25°539.311.74.7
Feb31° / 25°589.711.84.3
Mar31° / 26°13218.4123.6
Apr30° / 26°19325.712.13.0
May30° / 26°2432612.33.0
Jun30° / 26°18421.312.33.4
Jul30° / 26°19022.212.33.6
Aug29° / 26°23223.612.23.5
Sep29° / 26°25926123.2
Oct29° / 26°32028.611.93.0
Nov29° / 25°2342511.73.3
Dec29° / 25°12915.611.74.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
33070
43169
53367
63367
73565
83565
93565
103763
113763
123664
133664
143664
153664
163664
173664
183664
193664
203664
213565
223565
233565
243565
253565
263565
273664
283763
293763
303862
313961

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Alor Setar gets around 53 mm of rain over 9.3 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 30% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
334
433
532
632
731
830
930
1029
1129
1228
1328
1428
1528
1629
1729
1829
1929
2030
2130
2230
2330
2429
2529
2629
2728
2828
2928
3028
3127

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 70% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1012808
2013798
3014788
4014788
5015778
6016768
7017758
8018748
9018748
10019738
11020728
12021727
13021727
14022717
15122716
16123706
17123706
18124696
19125686
20125695
21126685
22127675
23127675
24128665
25129655
26130645
27130654
28131644
29132634
30132634
31132634

Wind in January

Winds average 13 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 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 7:32 AM to 7:40 AM, and sunset from 7:11 PM to 7:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.77:327:11
211.77:337:12
311.77:337:12
411.77:337:13
511.77:347:13
611.77:347:14
711.77:357:14
811.77:357:15
911.77:357:15
1011.77:367:16
1111.77:367:16
1211.77:367:16
1311.77:377:17
1411.77:377:17
1511.77:377:18
1611.77:377:18
1711.77:387:19
1811.77:387:19
1911.77:387:20
2011.77:387:20
2111.77:397:20
2211.77:397:21
2311.77:397:21
2411.77:397:21
2511.77:397:22
2611.77:397:22
2711.77:407:23
2811.77:407:23
2911.77:407:23
3011.77:407:24
3111.77:407:24

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.4 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Alor Setar

In seasonPeak

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

Alor Setar 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 January a good time to visit Alor Setar?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Alor Setar for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Alor Setar in January

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

In January, Alor Setar sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Alor Setar in January

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in May at about 31°C and coldest in January near 28°C.

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

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May31Tropical
Jun31Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Alor Setar in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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 Alor Setar peaks around February 19 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 18 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 19UV 14Jul 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Alor Setar 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 Alor Setar is worst in July — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJul 1129 µg/m³Feb 1120 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan21Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr27Moderate
May26Moderate
Jun29Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov23Moderate
Dec20Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Alor Setar?

Alor Setar sits at 6.1°N, 100.4°E, 7 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Kampung Alor Mengkudu, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Alor Setar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Alor Setar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 16 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,254 m.

The land around Alor Setar is covered by artificial surfaces (63%) within 3 km, cropland (55%) and water (22%) within 16 km, and trees (51%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
16 m
16 km
200 m
80 km
1,254 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Kampung Alor Mengkudu 5.0 km · Kuala Kedah 7.0 km · Anak Bukit 7.0 km · Tokai 11 km · Jitra 18 km · Pokok Sena 18 km · Pendang 19 km · Padang Besar 30 km

Malaysia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 32% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$13,125
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
95%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
22.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 581
Religion
Muslim 64%Buddhist 19%Christian 9%Hindu 6%

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 Alor Setar (6.121°, 100.3601°, elevation 7 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). 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).