Climate and average weather in Sandakan
In Sandakan, the weather is oppressive, sweltering, wet, and mostly cloudy and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near sweltering levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around December.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Sandakan typically varies from 23°C to 33°C, and is rarely below 22°C or above 35°C. May is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Sandakan for warm-weather activities is from late December to mid April.
- Hottest
- May
- 33°
- Coldest
- Jan
- 23°
- Wettest
- Dec
- 289 mm
- Driest
- Apr
- 169 mm
- Rain / yr
- 2888 mm
- 316 wet days
- Daylight
- 11.7–12.3 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 10 m
- 5.8°N
- Clearest
- Apr
- 71% cloud
Sandakan is city in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia.
- Founded
- 1658
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Sandakan weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late December to mid April.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Sandakan, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Sandakan stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is May, with an average high of 33°C and low of 24°C; the coolest is January, with an average low of 23°C and high of 30°C.
Days typically run about 8°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 30 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 31 |
| Avg low (°C) | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 23 |
| Feb | 30 | 23 |
| Mar | 32 | 24 |
| Apr | 33 | 24 |
| May | 33 | 24 |
| Jun | 33 | 24 |
| Jul | 32 | 24 |
| Aug | 33 | 24 |
| Sep | 33 | 24 |
| Oct | 32 | 24 |
| Nov | 32 | 24 |
| Dec | 31 | 24 |
How hot and cold Sandakan really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Sandakan feels like about 42°C (around May 8). Nearly every day a year carries some heat stress, and 252 of them tip into dangerous heat (feels-like above 39°C), peaking in May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 35 | 36 | 38 | 41 | 42 | 41 | 40 | 41 | 41 | 40 | 40 | 38 |
| Air high (°C) | 30 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 31 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| Air low (°C) | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 30 | 23 | 23 |
| Feb | 36 | 30 | 23 | 23 |
| Mar | 38 | 32 | 23 | 24 |
| Apr | 41 | 33 | 24 | 24 |
| May | 42 | 33 | 24 | 24 |
| Jun | 41 | 33 | 24 | 24 |
| Jul | 40 | 32 | 24 | 24 |
| Aug | 41 | 33 | 24 | 24 |
| Sep | 41 | 33 | 24 | 24 |
| Oct | 40 | 32 | 24 | 24 |
| Nov | 40 | 32 | 24 | 24 |
| Dec | 38 | 31 | 24 | 24 |
Average hourly temperature in Sandakan
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on May afternoons, near 33°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near 23°C.
Sandakan weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30° / 23° | 287 | 27.8 | 11.7 | 2.8 |
| Feb | 30° / 23° | 215 | 23.5 | 11.8 | 2.9 |
| Mar | 32° / 24° | 197 | 23.5 | 12 | 2.8 |
| Apr | 33° / 24° | 169 | 21.9 | 12.1 | 2.5 |
| May | 33° / 24° | 237 | 26.9 | 12.3 | 2.1 |
| Jun | 33° / 24° | 244 | 26.3 | 12.3 | 2.2 |
| Jul | 32° / 24° | 222 | 26 | 12.3 | 2.3 |
| Aug | 33° / 24° | 225 | 26.6 | 12.2 | 2.2 |
| Sep | 33° / 24° | 244 | 26.8 | 12 | 2.1 |
| Oct | 32° / 24° | 282 | 29 | 11.9 | 2.1 |
| Nov | 32° / 24° | 278 | 28.5 | 11.7 | 2.2 |
| Dec | 31° / 24° | 289 | 29.5 | 11.7 | 2.4 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Sandakan gets about 2888 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.3 months, from around Aug 17 to Jan 25, peaking in December at about 96% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Apr 9.
December is the wettest month by volume, with 289 mm over about 30 wet days; April is the driest, with 169 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 90 | 83 | 75 | 75 | 87 | 88 | 84 | 86 | 89 | 93 | 95 | 95 |
| Rain days | 28 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 30 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 90 | 28 |
| Feb | 83 | 24 |
| Mar | 75 | 24 |
| Apr | 75 | 22 |
| May | 87 | 27 |
| Jun | 88 | 26 |
| Jul | 84 | 26 |
| Aug | 86 | 27 |
| Sep | 89 | 27 |
| Oct | 93 | 29 |
| Nov | 95 | 29 |
| Dec | 95 | 30 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Sandakan collects about 2888 mm of rain across 316 wet days — roughly 241 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 289 mm, while April is the driest at just 169 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 30% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 287 | 215 | 197 | 169 | 237 | 244 | 222 | 225 | 244 | 282 | 278 | 289 |
| Rain days | 28 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 30 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 287 | 28 |
| Feb | 215 | 24 |
| Mar | 197 | 24 |
| Apr | 169 | 22 |
| May | 237 | 27 |
| Jun | 244 | 26 |
| Jul | 222 | 26 |
| Aug | 225 | 27 |
| Sep | 244 | 27 |
| Oct | 282 | 29 |
| Nov | 278 | 29 |
| Dec | 289 | 30 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Sandakan, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around February 10 and lasts for 3.7 months, ending around June 1. The clearest month is April, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 31% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around September 4 and lasts for 5.2 months, ending around February 9. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 91% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 13 | 18 | 27 | 31 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 9 |
| Cloudier (%) | 87 | 82 | 73 | 69 | 80 | 85 | 85 | 82 | 85 | 88 | 90 | 91 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | 87 |
| Feb | 18 | 82 |
| Mar | 27 | 73 |
| Apr | 31 | 69 |
| May | 20 | 80 |
| Jun | 15 | 85 |
| Jul | 15 | 85 |
| Aug | 18 | 82 |
| Sep | 15 | 85 |
| Oct | 12 | 88 |
| Nov | 10 | 90 |
| Dec | 9 | 91 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. Close to the equator, Sandakan barely changes through the year: days stay near 12 h 18 min of light in every season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 11.7 | 11.8 | 12.0 | 12.1 | 12.3 | 12.3 | 12.3 | 12.2 | 12.0 | 11.9 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:26 | 6:28 | 6:18 | 6:04 | 5:56 | 5:58 | 6:04 | 6:06 | 6:01 | 5:56 | 6:01 | 6:14 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:08 | 6:16 | 6:16 | 6:12 | 6:12 | 6:18 | 6:22 | 6:17 | 6:03 | 5:49 | 5:45 | 5:54 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11.7 | 6:26 | 6:08 |
| Feb | 11.8 | 6:28 | 6:16 |
| Mar | 12.0 | 6:18 | 6:16 |
| Apr | 12.1 | 6:04 | 6:12 |
| May | 12.3 | 5:56 | 6:12 |
| Jun | 12.3 | 5:58 | 6:18 |
| Jul | 12.3 | 6:04 | 6:22 |
| Aug | 12.2 | 6:06 | 6:17 |
| Sep | 12.0 | 6:01 | 6:03 |
| Oct | 11.9 | 5:56 | 5:49 |
| Nov | 11.7 | 6:01 | 5:45 |
| Dec | 11.7 | 6:14 | 5:54 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Sandakan averages about 1 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 0 and 4 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 3.7 months, from around Feb 22 to Jun 14. The sunniest month is April, with roughly 4 sunny days (gloomy).
The greyest month is December, down near 1 sunny days — about 86% fewer than the April peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 1 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 3 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 4 | Gloomy |
| May | 2 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 1 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 1 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 1 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 1 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 1 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 1 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 1 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
Sandakan is humid all year round — on a typical day the air feels at least humid, and there is no real dry season to wait for.
The stickiest month is January, when it feels muggy, oppressive or miserable about 100% of the time. Even in January, the mildest month, the air is dry or comfortable only 0% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muggy (%) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oppressive (%) | 49 | 59 | 43 | 21 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 19 |
| Miserable (%) | 50 | 41 | 57 | 79 | 96 | 91 | 85 | 85 | 88 | 91 | 94 | 81 |
| Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | 49 | 50 |
| Feb | 0 | 59 | 41 |
| Mar | 1 | 43 | 57 |
| Apr | 0 | 21 | 79 |
| May | 0 | 4 | 96 |
| Jun | 0 | 9 | 91 |
| Jul | 0 | 15 | 85 |
| Aug | 0 | 15 | 85 |
| Sep | 0 | 12 | 88 |
| Oct | 0 | 9 | 91 |
| Nov | 0 | 6 | 94 |
| Dec | 0 | 19 | 81 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Sandakan is steady company: average speeds sit near 6 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | calm |
| Feb | 7 | calm |
| Mar | 6 | calm |
| Apr | 6 | calm |
| May | 5 | calm |
| Jun | 5 | calm |
| Jul | 5 | calm |
| Aug | 6 | calm |
| Sep | 5 | calm |
| Oct | 5 | calm |
| Nov | 5 | calm |
| Dec | 6 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Sandakan
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Sandakan sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Best time to visit Sandakan
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Sandakan throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early January, Sandakan is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. In Sandakan it holds close to 3.0 all year, so any month is about as good as another for general outdoor tourist activities.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.4 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.8 | poor |
| Feb | 2.9 | poor |
| Mar | 2.8 | poor |
| Apr | 2.5 | poor |
| May | 2.1 | poor |
| Jun | 2.2 | poor |
| Jul | 2.3 | poor |
| Aug | 2.2 | poor |
| Sep | 2.1 | poor |
| Oct | 2.1 | poor |
| Nov | 2.2 | poor |
| Dec | 2.4 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Sandakan for hot-weather activities is from late December to late September, with a peak score in the second week of March.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Sandakan, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
Sandakan packs about the same all year — highs hold near 33°C. Across the year the things worth having are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection.
In May, Sandakan sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 27 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Sandakan
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 |
| Comfort | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | Tropical |
| Feb | 28 | Tropical |
| Mar | 29 | Tropical |
| Apr | 30 | Tropical |
| May | 30 | Tropical |
| Jun | 30 | Tropical |
| Jul | 30 | Tropical |
| Aug | 30 | Tropical |
| Sep | 30 | Tropical |
| Oct | 30 | Tropical |
| Nov | 29 | Tropical |
| Dec | 29 | Tropical |
UV index (midday) in Sandakan by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sandakan peaks around March 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 11 (extreme).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Extreme |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 13 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 14 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Sandakan
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in March the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 6 | 6 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 6 | 6.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | 6 |
| Feb | 8 | 6 |
| Mar | 8 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 8 | 6.5 |
| May | 8 | 6.5 |
| Jun | 8 | 6 |
| Jul | 8 | 6 |
| Aug | 8 | 6.5 |
| Sep | 8 | 6 |
| Oct | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Nov | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Dec | 7.5 | 5.5 |
Growing season
Sandakan is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Sandakan banks about 6,488 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 517 | 471 | 544 | 552 | 576 | 546 | 558 | 564 | 543 | 554 | 527 | 534 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 517 |
| Feb | 471 |
| Mar | 544 |
| Apr | 552 |
| May | 576 |
| Jun | 546 |
| Jul | 558 |
| Aug | 564 |
| Sep | 543 |
| Oct | 554 |
| Nov | 527 |
| Dec | 534 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Sandakan receives about 5.2 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.3 and 5.9 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 7.8 months, from around Feb 24 to Oct 18. The brightest month is April, averaging about 5.8 kWh/m² (bright).
The dimmest month is January, down near 4.4 kWh/m² — roughly 25% less than the April peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 4.4 | 4.9 | 5.6 | 5.9 | 5.6 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 4.4 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.4 | Bright |
| Feb | 4.9 | Bright |
| Mar | 5.6 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.9 | Bright |
| May | 5.6 | Bright |
| Jun | 5.3 | Bright |
| Jul | 5.4 | Bright |
| Aug | 5.7 | Bright |
| Sep | 5.7 | Bright |
| Oct | 5.3 | Bright |
| Nov | 4.7 | Bright |
| Dec | 4.4 | Bright |
Where is Sandakan?
Sandakan sits at 5.8°N, 118.1°E, 10 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Lahad Datu, 94 km away.
Topography around Sandakan
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Sandakan.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Sandakan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 239 m around an average of 22 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 244 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 533 m.
The land around Sandakan is covered by water (59%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, water (56%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and water (46%) and trees (45%) within 80 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
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 Sandakan (5.8402°, 118.1179°, elevation 10 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).