Sandakan weather in March

In March, Sandakan sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 197 mm of rain across 23.5 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 11th-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 10% of the time in March, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of March to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Sandakan's 2nd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sandakan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
8th warmest
Overnight low
24°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
197 mm
23.5 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:18 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
75%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.57 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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical March day in Sandakan reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 8°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, March runs about 1°C warmer than February and about 1°C cooler than April.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13123
23123
33123
43123
53123
63123
73123
83123
93123
103123
113123
123223
133223
143223
153224
163224
173224
183224
193224
203224
213224
223224
233224
243224
253224
263224
273224
283224
293224
303224
313224

How March really feels in Sandakan

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

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

Sandakan weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 11th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22377
32377
42377
52377
62476
72476
82575
92575
102575
112674
122773
132773
142773
152674
162674
172773
182773
192872
202971
212971
222971
232872
242872
252872
262872
272872
282971
293070
303070
313070

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Sandakan gets around 197 mm of rain over 23.5 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 75% and peaks near 77% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
177
277
377
476
576
675
775
874
974
1074
1174
1273
1373
1473
1574
1674
1774
1874
1975
2075
2176
2276
2377
2477
2577
2677
2777
2877
2977
3076
3176

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the miserable band about 57% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
115445
215445
315346
415346
515247
615247
715148
815148
905149
1005149
1105050
1204951
1314851
1414752
1514653
1614554
1714455
1814356
1914257
2014059
2113960
2213762
2313564
2413366
2513267
2613069
2712970
2812871
2902773
3002773
3102674

Wind in March

Winds average 7 km/h in March.

Across March, 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
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of March to 12 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:24 AM to 6:11 AM, and sunset from 6:17 PM to 6:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:246:17
211.96:246:17
311.96:246:17
411.96:236:17
511.96:236:17
611.96:236:17
711.96:226:17
811.96:226:17
911.96:216:17
1011.96:216:17
1111.96:216:17
1211.96:206:16
1311.96:206:16
1411.96:196:16
1512.06:196:16
1612.06:186:16
1712.06:186:16
1812.06:176:16
1912.06:176:16
2012.06:176:15
2112.06:166:15
2212.06:166:15
2312.06:156:15
2412.06:156:15
2512.06:146:15
2612.06:146:15
2712.06:136:14
2812.06:136:14
2912.06:126:14
3012.06:126:14
3112.06:116:14

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.57 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 — March's 5.57 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Sandakan

In seasonPeak

In March, 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 March a good time to visit Sandakan?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sandakan.

What to pack for Sandakan in March

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

In March, Sandakan 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 Sandakan in March

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in March — 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 March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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 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
March 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).