Sandakan weather in January

In January, Sandakan sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 287 mm of rain across 27.8 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-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 3% of the time in January, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sandakan's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sandakan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
12th warmest
Overnight low
23°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
287 mm
27.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:26 AM – 6:08 PM
Cloud cover
85%
9th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Sandakan is city in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia.

Founded
1658

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 30°C through the month.

A typical January day in Sandakan reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°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, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13024
23024
33023
43023
53023
63023
73023
83023
93023
103023
113023
123023
133023
143023
153023
163023
173023
183023
193023
203023
213023
223023
233023
243023
253023
263023
273023
283023
293023
303023
313023

How January really feels in Sandakan

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.

Sandakan weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 23°28727.811.72.8
Feb30° / 23°21523.511.82.9
Mar32° / 24°19723.5122.8
Apr33° / 24°16921.912.12.5
May33° / 24°23726.912.32.1
Jun33° / 24°24426.312.32.2
Jul32° / 24°2222612.32.3
Aug33° / 24°22526.612.22.2
Sep33° / 24°24426.8122.1
Oct32° / 24°2822911.92.1
Nov32° / 24°27828.511.72.2
Dec31° / 24°28929.511.72.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11090
21189
31189
41189
51288
61288
71288
81288
91288
101288
111288
121288
131288
141288
151288
161387
171387
181387
191387
201387
211387
221387
231387
241387
251387
261387
271387
281387
291585
301585
311585

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Sandakan gets around 287 mm of rain over 27.8 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 90% and peaks near 94% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
194
294
393
493
593
693
793
892
992
1092
1191
1291
1391
1490
1590
1689
1789
1889
1988
2088
2187
2287
2387
2487
2587
2687
2786
2886
2986
3086
3186

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the miserable band about 50% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
103565
203664
303763
403961
504060
604258
704357
804456
904555
1004753
1114851
1214950
1315050
1415049
1515148
1615148
1715247
1815247
1915346
2015346
2115445
2215445
2325444
2425444
2525543
2615643
2715742
2815742
2915841
3015841
3115841

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 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 6:21 AM to 6:29 AM, and sunset from 6:01 PM to 6:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:216:01
211.76:216:01
311.76:226:02
411.76:226:02
511.76:226:03
611.76:236:03
711.76:236:04
811.76:236:04
911.76:246:05
1011.76:246:05
1111.76:246:05
1211.76:256:06
1311.76:256:06
1411.76:256:07
1511.76:266:07
1611.76:266:08
1711.76:266:08
1811.76:266:09
1911.76:276:09
2011.76:276:09
2111.76:276:10
2211.76:276:10
2311.76:286:10
2411.76:286:11
2511.76:286:11
2611.76:286:12
2711.76:286:12
2811.76:286:12
2911.76:286:13
3011.76:286:13
3111.76:296:13

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.37 kWh/m² to a high of 5.86 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 4.37 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Sandakan

In seasonPeak

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

Sandakan 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 Sandakan?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sandakan.

What to pack for Sandakan in January

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

In January, Sandakan sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 28 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Sandakan 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
Jan28Tropical
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Sandakan in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 20UV 14Dec 13UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme
Location & terrain

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.

MapunSempornaRanauTawauKudatTambunanSitangkai

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.

3 km
239 m
16 km
244 m
80 km
533 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Lahad Datu 94 km · Mapun 134 km · Semporna 161 km · Ranau 161 km · Tawau 179 km · Kudat 184 km · Tambunan 191 km · Sitangkai 193 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 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).