Kuching weather in January

In January, Kuching sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 423 mm of rain across 28.9 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-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 0% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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

Daytime high
29°
12th warmest
Overnight low
23°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
423 mm
28.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:50 AM – 6:46 PM
Cloud cover
93%
11th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Kuching is capital of Sarawak, Malaysia.

Air quality
Good
PM10 26.1 µg/m³ · 2014
Founded
1827

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 Kuching reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 6°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 on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13023
23023
32923
42923
52923
62923
72923
82923
92923
102923
112923
122923
132923
142923
152923
162923
172923
182923
192923
202923
212923
222923
232923
242923
252923
262923
272923
282923
292923
302923
312923

How January really feels in Kuching

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.

Kuching weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 23°42328.911.92.8
Feb30° / 23°31124.911.92.9
Mar31° / 23°27628.2122.6
Apr31° / 24°27527.6122.4
May32° / 24°24526.412.12.6
Jun31° / 23°19122.112.12.9
Jul32° / 23°18120.912.13.1
Aug32° / 23°20022.212.12.9
Sep31° / 23°25725122.6
Oct31° / 23°32829122.5
Nov30° / 23°36129.411.92.4
Dec30° / 23°42329.411.92.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 2% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 98%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1298
2298
3298
4298
5298
6298
7298
8298
9298
10298
11298
12298
13298
14298
15298
16298
17298
18298
19298
20298
21298
22298
23298
24298
25298
26298
27298
28397
29397
30397
31397

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kuching gets around 423 mm of rain over 28.9 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 93% and peaks near 95% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
195
295
395
495
595
695
795
894
994
1094
1194
1294
1394
1494
1594
1694
1794
1894
1993
2093
2193
2293
2392
2492
2592
2692
2792
2892
2991
3091
3191

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 66% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
105842
205941
305941
406040
506139
606139
706238
806337
906337
1006436
1106535
1206535
1306634
1406733
1506733
1606832
1706832
1806832
1906931
2006931
2106931
2206931
2306931
2406931
2516831
2616831
2716831
2816930
2916930
3017029
3117029

Wind in January

Winds average 5 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 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 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:44 AM to 6:54 AM, and sunset from 6:39 PM to 6:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:446:39
211.96:456:40
311.96:456:40
411.96:466:41
511.96:466:41
611.96:476:41
711.96:476:42
811.96:476:42
911.96:486:43
1011.96:486:43
1111.96:496:44
1211.96:496:44
1311.96:496:44
1411.96:506:45
1511.96:506:45
1611.96:506:46
1711.96:516:46
1811.96:516:46
1911.96:516:47
2011.96:526:47
2111.96:526:47
2211.96:526:48
2311.96:526:48
2411.96:536:48
2511.96:536:48
2611.96:536:49
2711.96:536:49
2811.96:546:49
2911.96:546:50
3011.96:546:50
3111.96:546:50

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.21 kWh/m² to a high of 5.32 kWh/m² in August across the year — January's 4.3 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.2Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Kuching?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kuching.

What to pack for Kuching in January

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

In January, Kuching sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 29 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Kuching 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 33 km away) is warmest in June 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
Nov30Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Kuching in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kuching peaks around February 17 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 13 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 17UV 15Jul 13UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Kuching 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 Kuching is worst in August — around 36 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.2× the cleanest month (January, 11 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateAug 2336 µg/m³Jan 1611 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug36Poor
Sep36Poor
Oct21Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kuching?

Kuching sits at 1.6°N, 110.3°E, 8 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Siburan, 22 km away.

Topography around Kuching

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kuching has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 50 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 921 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,649 m.

The land around Kuching is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and trees (30%) within 3 km, trees (48%) and mangroves (21%) within 16 km, and trees (62%) and water (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
50 m
16 km
921 m
80 km
1,649 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
January weather nearby: Siburan 22 km · Bau 25 km · Simunjan 50 km · Serian 50 km · Lundu 55 km · Tebedu 58 km · Saratok 113 km · Kota Sambas 117 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 Kuching (1.55°, 110.3333°, 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. 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).