Niah weather in May

In May, Niah sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 215 mm of rain across 24.3 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Niah's 5th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Niah's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
1st warmest
Overnight low
24°
12th coldest
Rainfall
215 mm
24.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:16 AM – 6:27 PM
Cloud cover
82%
5th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month.

A typical May day in Niah reaches about 32°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 30°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13224
23224
33224
43224
53224
63224
73224
83224
93224
103224
113224
123224
133224
143224
153224
163224
173224
183224
193224
203224
213224
223224
233224
243224
253224
263224
273224
283224
293224
303224
313224

How May really feels in Niah

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May 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
31 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Niah weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 1st-warmest and 6th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11288
21288
31288
41288
51288
61288
71387
81387
91387
101387
111486
121585
131585
141684
151684
161783
171783
181783
191783
201783
211783
221882
231882
241882
251783
261783
271684
281684
291684
301585
311486

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Niah gets around 215 mm of rain over 24.3 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 79% and peaks near 87% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
187
286
386
485
584
684
783
882
981
1080
1179
1278
1377
1476
1575
1675
1774
1874
1974
2074
2174
2274
2375
2475
2576
2677
2777
2878
2978
3079
3179

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the miserable band about 96% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1397
2397
3397
4397
5397
6397
7397
8496
9496
10496
11496
12496
13496
14496
15496
16595
17595
18595
19595
20595
21595
22595
23595
24595
25595
26595
27595
28595
29595
30595
31595

Wind in May

Winds average 5 km/h in May.

Across May, 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 May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:18 AM to 6:16 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:186:26
212.16:186:26
312.16:186:26
412.16:186:26
512.16:186:26
612.16:176:26
712.26:176:26
812.26:176:26
912.26:176:26
1012.26:176:26
1112.26:176:26
1212.26:166:26
1312.26:166:26
1412.26:166:26
1512.26:166:27
1612.26:166:27
1712.26:166:27
1812.26:166:27
1912.26:166:27
2012.26:166:27
2112.26:166:27
2212.26:166:27
2312.26:166:27
2412.26:166:28
2512.26:166:28
2612.26:166:28
2712.26:166:28
2812.26:166:28
2912.26:166:28
3012.26:166:29
3112.26:166:29

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.23 kWh/m².

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 — May's 5.23 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Niah

In seasonPeak

In May, 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 May a good time to visit Niah?

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

2.7
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Niah.

What to pack for Niah in May

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

In May, Niah sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 24 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Niah in May

The nearest coast averages about 30°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May 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 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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).