Sibu weather in January

In January, Sibu sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 312 mm of rain across 27.8 wet days and about 11.9 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 0% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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

Daytime high
30°
12th warmest
Overnight low
23°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
312 mm
27.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:46 AM – 6:38 PM
Cloud cover
93%
11th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Sibu is town in Malaysia.

Density
24/km²
people per km²
Founded
1862

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 Sibu 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 on par with December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13023
23023
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 Sibu

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.

Sibu 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°31227.811.92.8
Feb30° / 23°24123.811.92.9
Mar31° / 24°22726.1122.7
Apr31° / 24°23026.8122.5
May32° / 24°21825.812.12.6
Jun31° / 24°17721.312.13.0
Jul31° / 24°17420.712.13.1
Aug31° / 24°19221.312.13.0
Sep31° / 24°24224.7122.7
Oct31° / 24°28028.111.92.5
Nov31° / 24°30728.711.92.5
Dec30° / 23°3442911.92.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 2% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 97%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1199
2199
3199
4298
5298
6298
7298
8298
9298
10298
11298
12298
13298
14298
15298
16298
17298
18298
19298
20298
21298
22397
23397
24397
25397
26397
27397
28496
29496
30496
31496

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Sibu gets around 312 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 93% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
193
292
392
492
592
692
792
892
992
1092
1192
1292
1391
1491
1591
1691
1791
1890
1990
2089
2189
2288
2388
2488
2588
2687
2787
2887
2986
3086
3186

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 54% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
104852
204852
304951
405050
505050
605149
705248
805248
905347
1005347
1105446
1205545
1305545
1405545
1505644
1605644
1705644
1805644
1905644
2005644
2105644
2215544
2315544
2415544
2515544
2615643
2715643
2815643
2915742
3015742
3115841

Wind in January

Winds average 5 km/h in January.

Across January, 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 January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 54 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 6:40 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 6:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:406:32
211.96:406:32
311.96:416:33
411.96:416:33
511.96:426:34
611.96:426:34
711.96:426:35
811.96:436:35
911.96:436:36
1011.96:446:36
1111.96:446:36
1211.96:446:37
1311.96:456:37
1411.96:456:38
1511.96:456:38
1611.96:466:38
1711.96:466:39
1811.96:466:39
1911.96:476:40
2011.96:476:40
2111.96:476:40
2211.96:476:41
2311.96:486:41
2411.96:486:41
2511.96:486:41
2611.96:486:42
2711.96:486:42
2811.96:496:42
2911.96:496:43
3011.96:496:43
3111.96:496:43

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.09 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.95 kWh/m² to a high of 5.04 kWh/m² in August across the year — January's 4.09 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
24.0Moderate
34.0Moderate
44.0Moderate
54.0Moderate
64.0Moderate
74.0Bright
84.0Bright
94.0Bright
104.0Bright
114.0Bright
124.0Bright
134.0Bright
144.0Bright
154.0Bright
164.0Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.1Bright
224.1Bright
234.1Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.2Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Sibu

In seasonPeak

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

Sibu 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 Sibu?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sibu.

What to pack for Sibu in January

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

In January, Sibu 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 Sibu 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 at the nearest coast (about 64 km away) is warmest in May 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
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Sibu 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 Sibu peaks around March 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 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 14UV 15Jul 14UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Sibu 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 Sibu is worst in September — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodSep 1325 µg/m³Dec 1411 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sibu?

Sibu sits at 2.3°N, 111.8°E, 0 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Sibu Jaya, 18 km away.

Topography around Sibu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sibu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 24 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 74 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 793 m.

The land around Sibu is covered by trees (55%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 3 km, trees (85%) within 16 km, and trees (79%) within 80 km.

3 km
24 m
16 km
74 m
80 km
793 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Sibu Jaya 18 km · Maradong 33 km · Julau 33 km · Sarikei 39 km · Kanowit 43 km · Pakan 49 km · Daro 49 km · Dalat 50 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 Sibu (2.3°, 111.8167°, elevation 0 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).