Tambunan weather in May

In May, Tambunan sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 248 mm of rain across 25.4 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Tambunan's 4th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tambunan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
19°
12th coldest
Rainfall
248 mm
25.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:03 AM – 6:18 PM
Cloud cover
84%
4th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical May day in Tambunan reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12819
22819
32819
42819
52819
62819
72819
82819
92719
102719
112719
122719
132719
142719
152719
162719
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302719
312719

Tambunan weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°1812111.74.7
Feb26° / 18°13116.611.85.1
Mar27° / 18°15119.4124.9
Apr28° / 19°17921.112.14.5
May27° / 19°24825.412.34.0
Jun27° / 18°24424.312.34.1
Jul26° / 18°21122.812.34.4
Aug27° / 18°22823.712.24.3
Sep27° / 18°23024.6124.0
Oct26° / 18°2762811.93.7
Nov26° / 18°24026.311.73.8
Dec26° / 18°21525.211.74.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 89%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11585
21585
31486
41486
51486
61387
71387
81288
91189
101189
111189
121189
131189
141189
151189
161189
171189
181189
191189
201090
211090
221090
231090
241090
251090
261090
271090
281090
291090
301090
311090

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Tambunan gets around 248 mm of rain over 25.4 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 82% and peaks near 85% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
175
276
376
477
577
678
779
879
980
1081
1181
1282
1382
1482
1583
1683
1783
1883
1983
2084
2184
2284
2384
2484
2584
2684
2784
2884
2984
3085
3185

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 93% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 94% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
110900
29910
38911
48911
57921
66931
76931
85941
95941
104951
114942
124942
134942
144942
154942
164942
175932
185932
195932
205941
216931
226931
236931
246931
256931
266931
276931
285941
295950
305950
315950

Wind in May

Winds average 3 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:06 AM to 6:03 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:066:18
212.26:056:18
312.26:056:18
412.26:056:18
512.26:056:18
612.26:046:18
712.26:046:18
812.26:046:18
912.26:046:18
1012.26:046:18
1112.26:046:18
1212.26:036:18
1312.26:036:18
1412.36:036:18
1512.36:036:18
1612.36:036:18
1712.36:036:19
1812.36:036:19
1912.36:036:19
2012.36:036:19
2112.36:036:19
2212.36:026:19
2312.36:026:19
2412.36:026:20
2512.36:026:20
2612.36:026:20
2712.36:026:20
2812.36:036:20
2912.36:036:21
3012.36:036:21
3112.36:036:21

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.33 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.36 kWh/m² to a high of 5.78 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 5.33 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Tambunan

In seasonPeak

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

Tambunan 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 May a good time to visit Tambunan?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Tambunan for sightseeing.

What to pack for Tambunan in May

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

In May, Tambunan sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Tambunan in May

The nearest coast averages about 30°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 55 km away) is warmest in June at about 30°C and coldest in February near 27°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
Jan28Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Tambunan in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tambunan peaks around March 17 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 17UV 15Dec 12UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May15Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Tambunan in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Tambunan is worst in September — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1416 µg/m³Dec 1710 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Tambunan?

Tambunan sits at 5.7°N, 116.4°E, 630 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Donggongon, 39 km away.

Topography around Tambunan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tambunan has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 419 m around an average of 704 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,613 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,023 m.

The land around Tambunan is covered by trees (68%) within 3 km, trees (95%) within 16 km, and trees (81%) within 80 km.

3 km
419 m
16 km
1,613 m
80 km
4,023 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Donggongon 39 km · Ranau 39 km · Kinarut 41 km · Putatan 44 km · Petagas 44 km · Kota Kinabalu 46 km · Keningau 50 km · Papar 52 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 Tambunan (5.7167°, 116.4°, elevation 630 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).