Semporna weather in January

In January, Semporna sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 205 mm of rain across 22.9 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Semporna's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Semporna's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
12th warmest
Overnight low
24°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
205 mm
22.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:22 AM – 6:08 PM
Cloud cover
81%
10th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Semporna is human settlement in Malaysia.

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 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Semporna reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13024
23024
33024
42924
52924
62924
72924
82924
92924
102924
112924
122924
132924
142924
152924
162924
172924
182924
192924
202924
212924
222924
232924
243024
253024
263024
273024
283024
293024
303024
313024

How January really feels in Semporna

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.

Semporna weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 24°20522.911.83.5
Feb30° / 24°1461911.93.7
Mar30° / 25°16721.1123.5
Apr31° / 25°17323.512.13.1
May31° / 25°2292812.22.8
Jun30° / 25°22226.612.32.9
Jul30° / 25°19325.912.23.1
Aug30° / 25°16624.812.13.2
Sep30° / 25°17924.9123.0
Oct30° / 25°24028.311.92.8
Nov30° / 25°22327.611.82.8
Dec30° / 25°22427.411.73.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% 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 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11684
21684
31783
41783
51882
61882
71882
81882
91882
101882
111882
121783
131783
141684
151684
161783
171783
181684
191684
201684
211882
221882
231882
241981
251981
261981
271981
281981
292080
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Semporna gets around 205 mm of rain over 22.9 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 74% and peaks near 82% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
182
281
380
479
578
678
777
877
976
1076
1176
1276
1376
1475
1575
1675
1774
1874
1973
2073
2172
2272
2372
2471
2571
2670
2770
2869
2969
3069
3169

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 70% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
115346
215544
315742
415940
516039
616237
716336
816435
916534
1016732
1116831
1216930
1316930
1417029
1517128
1617128
1717227
1817227
1917227
2027226
2127325
2227325
2327424
2427523
2527622
2627721
2727721
2827820
2927919
3027919
3128018

Wind in January

Winds average 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:16 AM to 6:25 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)
111.76:166:01
211.76:176:02
311.76:176:02
411.76:186:02
511.76:186:03
611.76:186:03
711.86:196:04
811.86:196:04
911.86:206:05
1011.86:206:05
1111.86:206:06
1211.86:216:06
1311.86:216:07
1411.86:216:07
1511.86:226:07
1611.86:226:08
1711.86:226:08
1811.86:226:09
1911.86:236:09
2011.86:236:09
2111.86:236:10
2211.86:236:10
2311.86:246:11
2411.86:246:11
2511.86:246:11
2611.86:246:12
2711.86:246:12
2811.86:246:12
2911.86:256:12
3011.86:256:13
3111.86:256:13

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.9 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.79 kWh/m² to a high of 5.82 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 4.9 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Semporna

In seasonPeak

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

Semporna 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 Semporna?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Semporna.

What to pack for Semporna in January

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

In January, Semporna sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Semporna 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
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Semporna in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Semporna peaks around March 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 18UV 15Dec 14UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Semporna in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Semporna is worst in September — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1715 µg/m³Jan 18 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May9Good
Jun9Good
Jul10Good
Aug13Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Semporna?

Semporna sits at 4.5°N, 118.6°E, 7 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Lahad Datu, 68 km away.

BongaoSandakanTarakanTanjung Selor

Topography around Semporna

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Semporna has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 19 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 366 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,262 m.

The land around Semporna is covered by water (47%) within 3 km, water (63%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and water (67%) and trees (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
19 m
16 km
366 m
80 km
1,262 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Lahad Datu 68 km · Tawau 84 km · Sitangkai 89 km · Nunukan 113 km · Bongao 142 km · Sandakan 161 km · Tarakan 172 km · Tanjung Selor 229 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 Semporna (4.4818°, 118.6112°, elevation 7 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).