Tawau weather in May

In May, Tawau sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 216 mm of rain across 29.5 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 1st-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 11% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Tawau's 4th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tawau's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
26°
12th coldest
Rainfall
216 mm
29.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
5:59 AM – 6:10 PM
Cloud cover
74%
4th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical May day in Tawau reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°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, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12926
22926
32926
42926
52926
62926
72926
82926
92926
102926
112926
122926
132926
142926
152926
162926
172926
182926
192926
202926
212926
222926
232926
242926
252926
262926
272925
282925
292925
302925
312925

How May really feels in Tawau

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

Tawau weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 2nd-warmest and 1st-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23070
32971
42872
52872
62674
72674
82575
92575
102575
112575
122575
132575
142872
152872
162971
172971
183070
193070
203070
213169
223268
233268
243268
253169
263070
272971
282971
292773
302872
312674

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Tawau gets around 216 mm of rain over 29.5 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 95% and peaks near 97% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
192
293
393
494
595
695
796
896
996
1097
1197
1297
1397
1497
1597
1697
1796
1896
1996
2096
2195
2295
2395
2494
2594
2694
2794
2893
2993
3093
3193

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the miserable band about 95% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1496
2397
3397
4397
5397
6397
7397
8397
9397
10397
11397
12496
13496
14496
15496
16595
17595
18595
19694
20694
21694
22793
23793
24793
25892
26892
27892
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 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
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 12 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 6:01 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 6:10 PM to 6:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:016:10
212.16:016:10
312.26:016:10
412.26:016:10
512.26:006:10
612.26:006:10
712.26:006:10
812.26:006:10
912.26:006:10
1012.26:006:10
1112.25:596:10
1212.25:596:10
1312.25:596:10
1412.25:596:10
1512.25:596:10
1612.25:596:10
1712.25:596:11
1812.25:596:11
1912.25:596:11
2012.25:596:11
2112.25:596:11
2212.25:596:11
2312.25:596:11
2412.25:596:11
2512.25:596:12
2612.25:596:12
2712.25:596:12
2812.25:596:12
2912.25:596:12
3012.25:596:12
3112.25:596:13

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.09 kWh/m².

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 — May's 5.09 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Tawau

In seasonPeak

In May, 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 May a good time to visit Tawau?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tawau.

What to pack for Tawau in May

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

In May, Tawau sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 30 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Tawau 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 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May 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 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 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 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
May 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).