Kuantan weather in January

In January, Kuantan sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 193 mm of rain across 19.5 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 6th-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 5% 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 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kuantan's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kuantan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
11th warmest
Overnight low
24°
1st coldest
Rainfall
193 mm
19.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
7:22 AM – 7:10 PM
Cloud cover
81%
9th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Kuantan is state capital of Pahang, Malaysia.

Air quality
Good
PM10 27.2 µg/m³ · 2014
Founded
1851

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 Kuantan 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 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C cooler than 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 Kuantan

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 25 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
25
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.

Kuantan weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 24°19319.511.84.2
Feb30° / 24°8313.511.94.4
Mar31° / 24°14318.6123.6
Apr32° / 25°1562312.12.8
May32° / 25°19526.112.22.5
Jun32° / 25°16923.412.22.8
Jul31° / 24°16423.212.23.0
Aug31° / 24°19024.912.12.9
Sep31° / 24°21424.3122.8
Oct31° / 24°28827.611.92.7
Nov30° / 24°33128.711.82.8
Dec29° / 24°3452511.83.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 81%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21486
31585
41783
51783
61882
72080
82080
92080
102179
112179
122179
132080
142080
151981
161981
171981
181882
191882
201981
211981
221882
231882
241882
251882
261882
271882
282080
292080
302179
312179

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kuantan gets around 193 mm of rain over 19.5 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 62% and peaks near 74% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
174
274
373
473
572
671
770
869
968
1066
1165
1264
1363
1462
1561
1660
1759
1858
1958
2057
2157
2257
2357
2457
2557
2657
2756
2856
2955
3054
3154

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 79% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
138215
238314
338314
438314
548214
648214
748214
848313
958213
1068113
1168113
1278013
1387913
1488012
1597912
16107812
17107911
18117811
19117811
20127711
21127711
22127711
23127711
24127711
25127711
26127711
27117811
28117811
29107911
30107812
31107812

Wind in January

Winds average 13 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light 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 48 min at the start of January 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 January. Sunrise moves from 7:16 AM to 7:25 AM, and sunset from 7:03 PM to 7:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.87:167:03
211.87:177:04
311.87:177:04
411.87:187:05
511.87:187:05
611.87:187:06
711.87:197:06
811.87:197:07
911.87:207:07
1011.87:207:07
1111.87:207:08
1211.87:217:08
1311.87:217:09
1411.87:217:09
1511.87:227:10
1611.87:227:10
1711.87:227:10
1811.87:237:11
1911.87:237:11
2011.87:237:12
2111.87:237:12
2211.87:247:12
2311.87:247:13
2411.87:247:13
2511.87:247:13
2611.87:247:14
2711.87:247:14
2811.87:257:14
2911.87:257:15
3011.87:257:15
3111.87:257:15

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.07 kWh/m² to a high of 5.92 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 4.67 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.4Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kuantan

In seasonPeak

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

Kuantan 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 Kuantan?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Kuantan for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kuantan in January

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

In January, Kuantan sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kuantan 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 30°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
Jan28Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Kuantan 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 Kuantan peaks around February 21 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 21UV 14Jun 23UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Kuantan 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 Kuantan is worst in September — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (January, 14 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateSep 1630 µg/m³Jan 1714 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep31Moderate
Oct26Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kuantan?

Kuantan sits at 3.8°N, 103.3°E, 12 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Pekan, 37 km away.

Topography around Kuantan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kuantan has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 283 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 375 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,454 m.

The land around Kuantan is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, trees (41%) and water (39%) within 16 km, and trees (63%) and water (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
283 m
16 km
375 m
80 km
1,454 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
January weather nearby: Pekan 37 km · Cukai 50 km · FELDA Chini 64 km · Maran 66 km · Kertih 80 km · Kampung Perak 82 km · Paka 93 km · Jerantut 108 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 Kuantan (3.8077°, 103.326°, elevation 12 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).