Niah weather in December

In December, Niah sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 311 mm of rain across 28.5 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-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 1% of the time in December, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of December to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Niah's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Niah's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
10th warmest
Overnight low
24°
5th coldest
Rainfall
311 mm
28.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:28 AM – 6:15 PM
Cloud cover
91%
12th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month.

A typical December day in Niah reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13124
23124
33124
43124
53124
63124
73124
83124
93124
103124
113124
123124
133124
143124
153124
163124
173024
183024
193024
203024
213024
223024
233024
243024
253024
263024
273024
283024
293024
303024
313024

How December really feels in Niah

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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 December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Niah weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 24°25826.111.82.9
Feb30° / 24°19422.211.93.0
Mar31° / 24°18025.1122.8
Apr32° / 24°21825.912.12.5
May32° / 24°21524.312.22.7
Jun31° / 24°19921.812.22.9
Jul31° / 24°19421.112.23.1
Aug31° / 24°20022.412.12.9
Sep31° / 24°20723.9122.7
Oct31° / 24°27727.911.92.5
Nov31° / 24°28328.811.82.4
Dec30° / 24°31128.511.82.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 3% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 96%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1397
2397
3496
4496
5496
6595
7595
8595
9496
10496
11496
12496
13496
14496
15496
16496
17496
18496
19496
20496
21397
22397
23397
24397
25397
26397
27397
28397
29397
30496
31496

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Niah gets around 311 mm of rain over 28.5 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 92% and peaks near 93% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
193
292
392
492
592
691
791
891
991
1090
1190
1290
1390
1491
1591
1691
1792
1892
1992
2093
2193
2293
2393
2493
2593
2693
2793
2892
2992
3092
3192

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the miserable band about 73% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
12377
22377
32377
42377
52476
62476
72476
82476
92476
102575
112575
122575
132575
142575
152575
162575
172575
182674
192674
202773
212773
222872
232971
243070
253169
263268
273268
283367
293367
303466
313466

Wind in December

Winds average 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 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
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of December 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 December. Sunrise moves from 6:21 AM to 6:35 AM, and sunset from 6:09 PM to 6:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:216:09
211.86:226:09
311.86:226:09
411.86:226:10
511.86:236:10
611.86:236:10
711.86:246:11
811.86:246:11
911.86:256:12
1011.86:256:12
1111.86:266:12
1211.86:266:13
1311.86:276:13
1411.86:276:14
1511.86:276:14
1611.86:286:15
1711.86:286:15
1811.86:296:16
1911.86:296:16
2011.86:306:16
2111.86:306:17
2211.86:316:17
2311.86:316:18
2411.86:326:18
2511.86:326:19
2611.86:336:19
2711.86:336:20
2811.86:346:20
2911.86:346:21
3011.86:346:21
3111.86:356:22

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.36 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.36 kWh/m² to a high of 5.38 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 4.36 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.4Bright
174.4Bright
184.4Bright
194.4Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Niah

In seasonPeak

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

Niah 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 December a good time to visit Niah?

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

2.6
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Niah.

What to pack for Niah in December

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

In December, Niah sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 29 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Niah in December

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore 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
Feb28Warm
Mar28Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Niah in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December 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 Niah peaks around April 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 22 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 15UV 15Nov 22UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Niah in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Niah is worst in September — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodSep 1819 µg/m³Dec 1510 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb18Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Niah?

Niah sits at 3.9°N, 113.7°E, 16 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Beluru, 45 km away.

Liang

Topography around Niah

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Niah has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 47 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 368 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,291 m.

The land around Niah is covered by trees (88%) within 3 km, trees (81%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) and water (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
47 m
16 km
368 m
80 km
1,291 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Beluru 45 km · Miri 67 km · Marudi 76 km · Sebauh 97 km · Kuala Belait 99 km · Seria 107 km · Bintulu 108 km · Liang 125 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 Niah (3.862°, 113.7152°, elevation 16 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).