Kota Kinabalu weather in November

In November, Kota Kinabalu sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 229 mm of rain across 26.2 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in November, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of November to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, November is Kota Kinabalu's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kota Kinabalu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
8th warmest
Overnight low
25°
5th coldest
Rainfall
229 mm
26.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:09 AM – 5:53 PM
Cloud cover
86%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Kota Kinabalu is capital of Sabah, Malaysia.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 15 µg/m³ · 2012
Founded
1899

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

Temperature in November

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical November day in Kota Kinabalu reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, November runs on par with October and on par with December.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12825
22825
32825
42825
52825
62825
72825
82825
92825
102825
112825
122825
132825
142825
152825
162825
172825
182825
192826
202826
212826
222826
232826
242826
252826
262826
272826
282826
292826
302826

How November really feels in Kota Kinabalu

Once humidity and wind are folded in, November averages 30 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
30
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Kota Kinabalu weather by month

How November compares with the rest of the year at a glance. November is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 25°15318.511.74.8
Feb28° / 25°9814.211.85.3
Mar28° / 25°9416124.9
Apr29° / 26°11019.412.14.1
May29° / 26°16321.812.33.7
Jun29° / 26°18718.512.33.9
Jul29° / 26°16618.412.34.1
Aug29° / 26°1781812.24.1
Sep29° / 26°17319.9123.9
Oct29° / 25°26426.111.93.5
Nov28° / 25°22926.211.73.4
Dec28° / 26°21224.911.73.7

Cloud cover in November

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in November.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of November, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 89%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11090
21090
31090
41189
51090
61090
71090
81090
91189
101189
111189
121090
131090
141189
151189
161189
171189
181189
191189
201189
211189
221189
231288
241189
251189
261189
271189
281189
291288
301387

Chance of precipitation in November

Any precipitation

Kota Kinabalu gets around 229 mm of rain over 26.2 wet days in November. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 87% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
187
287
387
487
587
687
787
888
988
1088
1188
1288
1388
1488
1588
1689
1789
1889
1988
2088
2188
2287
2387
2486
2586
2685
2785
2884
2983
3083

Humidity in November

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, November lands in the miserable band about 50% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
15545
25545
35446
45446
55347
65347
75248
85149
95149
105050
115050
124951
134852
144852
154852
164753
174753
184753
194753
204753
214753
224753
234753
244753
254852
264852
274951
285050
295050
305149

Wind in November

Winds average 8 km/h in November.

Across November, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
308calm

Sunrise & sunset in November

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of November to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over November. Sunrise moves from 6:06 AM to 6:15 AM, and sunset from 5:53 PM to 5:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:065:53
211.86:065:53
311.86:065:53
411.86:065:53
511.86:065:52
611.86:075:52
711.86:075:52
811.86:075:52
911.86:075:52
1011.76:085:52
1111.76:085:52
1211.76:085:52
1311.76:085:52
1411.76:095:52
1511.76:095:53
1611.76:095:53
1711.76:105:53
1811.76:105:53
1911.76:105:53
2011.76:115:53
2111.76:115:53
2211.76:115:54
2311.76:125:54
2411.76:125:54
2511.76:135:54
2611.76:135:54
2711.76:135:55
2811.76:145:55
2911.76:145:55
3011.76:155:56

Solar energy in November

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in November, about 4.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.61 kWh/m² to a high of 5.94 kWh/m² in April across the year — November's 4.73 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
Planning a trip in November

Hazard calendar for Kota Kinabalu

In seasonPeak

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

Kota Kinabalu 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 November a good time to visit Kota Kinabalu?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

November is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kota Kinabalu.

What to pack for Kota Kinabalu in November

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

In November, Kota Kinabalu sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kota Kinabalu in November

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in November — 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 June at about 30°C and coldest in February near 27°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
Jan28Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Kota Kinabalu in November

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in November peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kota Kinabalu peaks around April 12 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 12UV 14Dec 12UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Kota Kinabalu in November

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Kota Kinabalu is worst in September — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (December, 12 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Kota Kinabalu's WHO annual average of 15 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateSep 1419 µg/m³Dec 1712 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kota Kinabalu?

Kota Kinabalu sits at 6.0°N, 116.1°E, 5 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Putatan, 6.0 km away.

Topography around Kota Kinabalu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kota Kinabalu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 94 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 852 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,023 m.

The land around Kota Kinabalu is covered by water (36%), artificial surfaces (35%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (37%) within 16 km, and trees (51%) and water (45%) within 80 km.

3 km
94 m
16 km
852 m
80 km
4,023 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
November weather nearby: Putatan 6.0 km · Petagas 7.0 km · Donggongon 8.0 km · Kinarut 17 km · Papar 31 km · Tambunan 46 km · Ranau 65 km · Kuala Penyu 69 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 Kota Kinabalu (5.9749°, 116.0724°, 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). 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).