Bintulu weather in January

In January, Bintulu sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 298 mm of rain across 26.1 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Bintulu's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bintulu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
12th warmest
Overnight low
24°
1st coldest
Rainfall
298 mm
26.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:42 AM – 6:32 PM
Cloud cover
90%
10th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
out of 10

Bintulu is town on the island of Borneo in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia.

Founded
1862

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 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Bintulu reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 30°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)
12924
22924
32924
42924
52924
62924
72924
82924
92924
102924
112924
122924
132924
142924
152924
162924
172924
182924
192924
202924
212924
222924
232924
242924
252924
262924
272924
282924
292924
302924
312924

How January really feels in Bintulu

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.

Bintulu weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 24°29826.111.83.2
Feb29° / 24°19221.611.93.5
Mar30° / 25°16522.6123.4
Apr30° / 25°18824.212.13.0
May31° / 25°18322.812.13.1
Jun31° / 25°17720.412.23.3
Jul31° / 25°17019.612.23.4
Aug31° / 25°19621.112.13.3
Sep30° / 25°21323.8123.1
Oct30° / 24°27427.311.92.9
Nov30° / 24°29128.411.92.7
Dec29° / 24°34828.811.82.8

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
5595
6595
7595
8595
9595
10595
11496
12496
13496
14496
15496
16496
17595
18595
19595
20694
21694
22694
23694
24694
25694
26793
27892
28892
29892
30793
31793

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Bintulu gets around 298 mm of rain over 26.1 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 85% and peaks near 90% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
190
290
389
489
588
688
787
887
987
1087
1186
1286
1386
1485
1585
1685
1784
1884
1983
2083
2183
2283
2382
2482
2582
2682
2781
2881
2981
3080
3180

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 60% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
105446
205545
305545
405644
505743
605743
705842
805941
906040
1006040
1106139
1206139
1306238
1406238
1506238
1606238
1706238
1806337
1906238
2006238
2106238
2216138
2316138
2416138
2516138
2616138
2716138
2816237
2916237
3016336
3116435

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:36 AM to 6:45 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:366:26
211.86:376:26
311.86:376:27
411.86:386:27
511.86:386:27
611.86:396:28
711.86:396:28
811.86:396:29
911.86:406:29
1011.86:406:30
1111.86:406:30
1211.86:416:31
1311.86:416:31
1411.86:416:31
1511.86:426:32
1611.86:426:32
1711.86:426:33
1811.86:436:33
1911.86:436:33
2011.86:436:34
2111.86:436:34
2211.86:446:34
2311.86:446:35
2411.86:446:35
2511.86:446:35
2611.96:456:36
2711.96:456:36
2811.96:456:36
2911.96:456:37
3011.96:456:37
3111.96:456:37

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.44 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.22 kWh/m² to a high of 5.27 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 4.44 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.4Bright
174.4Bright
184.4Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Bintulu

In seasonPeak

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

Bintulu 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 Bintulu?

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

3.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bintulu.

What to pack for Bintulu in January

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

In January, Bintulu sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 26 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Bintulu 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 at the nearest coast (about 18 km away) is warmest in May at about 30°C and coldest in February 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
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Bintulu in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks 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 Bintulu peaks around March 24 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 21 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 24UV 15Nov 21UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Bintulu 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 Bintulu is worst in September — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodSep 1518 µg/m³Dec 149 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May11Good
Jun12Good
Jul13Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bintulu?

Bintulu sits at 3.2°N, 113.0°E, 8 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Sebauh, 27 km away.

Kapit

Topography around Bintulu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bintulu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 182 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,062 m.

The land around Bintulu is covered by trees (40%) and water (26%) within 3 km, trees (54%) and water (38%) within 16 km, and trees (70%) and water (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
65 m
16 km
182 m
80 km
1,062 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Sebauh 27 km · Tatau 38 km · Belaga 98 km · Selangau 106 km · Niah 108 km · Mukah 109 km · Dalat 119 km · Kapit 131 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 Bintulu (3.1667°, 113.0333°, elevation 8 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).