Tawau weather in December

In December, Tawau sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 190 mm of rain across 26.4 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-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 5% of the time in December, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of December to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Tawau's 12th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tawau's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
5th warmest
Overnight low
25°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
190 mm
26.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:12 AM – 5:57 PM
Cloud cover
82%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.3
out of 10

Tawau is A town, division and district in Sabah, Malaysia.

Founded
1658

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical December day in Tawau reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12925
22925
32925
42925
52925
62925
72925
82925
92925
102925
112925
122925
132925
142925
152925
162925
172925
182925
192925
202925
212925
222925
232925
242925
252925
262925
272925
282925
292925
302925
312925

How December really feels in Tawau

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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 December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Tawau weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 25°15521.511.83.9
Feb29° / 25°11316.611.94.2
Mar29° / 25°14421.9123.9
Apr29° / 25°16325.412.13.3
May29° / 26°21629.512.23.0
Jun29° / 25°21228.112.23.1
Jul29° / 25°20028.112.23.3
Aug29° / 25°18627.912.13.3
Sep29° / 25°17626.6123.3
Oct29° / 25°21428.711.93.1
Nov29° / 25°19227.911.83.1
Dec29° / 25°19026.411.83.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11585
21585
31486
41486
51486
61585
71585
81585
91585
101684
111684
121684
131684
141684
151684
161684
171684
181585
191585
201585
211387
221387
231387
241288
251288
261288
271288
281288
291387
301387
311486

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Tawau gets around 190 mm of rain over 26.4 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 85% and peaks near 90% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
190
290
389
489
588
688
788
887
987
1087
1187
1287
1387
1486
1586
1686
1786
1886
1985
2085
2185
2284
2384
2483
2583
2682
2782
2881
2980
3079
3178

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the miserable band about 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
103367
203466
303466
403565
503664
603664
703763
803763
903862
1003862
1103961
1204060
1304060
1404159
1504258
1604456
1704555
1804654
1904753
2004951
2105050
2205149
2305248
2405347
2505446
2615445
2715643
2815742
2915841
3016039
3116138

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, 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
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:05 AM to 6:19 AM, and sunset from 5:51 PM to 6:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:055:51
211.86:055:52
311.86:065:52
411.86:065:52
511.86:075:53
611.86:075:53
711.86:085:53
811.86:085:54
911.86:095:54
1011.86:095:55
1111.86:105:55
1211.86:105:56
1311.86:105:56
1411.86:115:56
1511.86:115:57
1611.86:125:57
1711.86:125:58
1811.86:135:58
1911.86:135:59
2011.86:145:59
2111.86:146:00
2211.86:156:00
2311.86:156:01
2411.86:166:01
2511.86:166:01
2611.86:176:02
2711.86:176:02
2811.86:186:03
2911.86:186:03
3011.86:186:04
3111.86:196:04

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.62 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.62 kWh/m² to a high of 5.56 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.62 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Tawau

In seasonPeak

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

Tawau 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 December a good time to visit Tawau?

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

3.3
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tawau.

What to pack for Tawau in December

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

In December, Tawau sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Tawau in December

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 29 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
Jan29Tropical
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Tawau in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tawau peaks around March 17 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 17UV 15Dec 14UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Tawau in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Tawau is worst in September — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (January, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodSep 1716 µg/m³Jan 129 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May12Good
Jun11Good
Jul12Good
Aug14Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Tawau?

Tawau sits at 4.2°N, 117.9°E, 0 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Nunukan, 29 km away.

MalinauTanjung SelorSitangkaiSandakan

Topography around Tawau

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tawau has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 26 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 670 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,290 m.

The land around Tawau is covered by water (54%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 3 km, trees (49%) and water (40%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) and water (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
26 m
16 km
670 m
80 km
1,290 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
December weather nearby: Nunukan 29 km · Semporna 84 km · Lahad Datu 99 km · Tarakan 109 km · Malinau 158 km · Tanjung Selor 167 km · Sitangkai 173 km · Sandakan 179 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 Tawau (4.2448°, 117.8911°, 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).