Weather Borneo
Borneo, located in the centre of Southeast Asia enjoys an equatorial climate that provides high humidity, hot weather and large rainfall amounts throughout the year. Located on both sides of the equator and covered by lavish rainforests, among the most biodiverse places on earth, Borneo is the third largest island in the world, its terrain distributed unevenly between the countries of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. It could be considered to be a tropical paradise.
Throughout the region, Borneo's tropical climate can sometimes cause unexpected weather. This, however, should not discourage people from visiting. While rainfall may occasionally be heavy, its occurrence is irregular and can in fact offer a welcome cooling from the humidity. Both tourists and residents should be prepared for rain at any time of the year.
Daytime temperatures will generally range between 30°C and 35°C whilst in the Mount Kinabalu region the temperature drops to 15°C to 22°C. Sabah, located on the northernmost tip of Borneo, will frequently experience harsher rainfall whereas Sarawak enjoys more placid and serene weather.
The cooling sea breezes, which are definitely beneficial for these typical tropical climates, makes this an appropriate destination to visit at any time of the year. There are, however, particular coastal locations and islands that receive heavy rainfall during of the monsoon season, which is the low season in Borneo for beach vacations.
The weather in Borneo is dependent on the weather patterns in the three surrounding seashe Sulawesi, Sulu and South China Seass well as on the seasonal winds, or monsoons, that characterise this region. These monsoons can bring either dry or wet weather, depending on where they come from.
Borneo's weather is rather varied. There are areas that are among the wettest in the world, while others are nearly bone-dry. In general, however, it can be said that Borneo is a typical tropical destination where the chance of a heavy rain shower is always present, but where sunshine is equally as common. Often, rain and sunshine will alternate throughout the day. The weather could change within minutes, so visitors are strongly encouraged to pack for all weather types.
The period between April and September is generally the busiest tourist season as it is the driest time of the year, with the most sunshine. That being said; even in the dry season, tourists should always expect rain. Planning a trip to Borneo when it is dry is nearly impossible. There is an annual peak in rainfall, however.
The months from November through to March are the wettest overall, even though they also have periods of dryness. While snorkelling or scuba diving aren't ideal in the wet season because of the murkiness of the sea water, the jungle with its waterfalls and wildlife sanctuaries is spectacular that time of year.
There is always something to do in Borneo. The dry season sees the majority of the tourists and is perfect for sunbathing, swimming and the like. The wet season, on the other hand, is arguably the best period for nature-focused holidays. Again, both seasons are fairly similar and have spells of glorious sunshine and heavy downpours.
Winter Weather In Borneo
Rain
The east monsoon season, or wet season, falls roughly between October and March. While October receives 230mm of rainfall in total (which is about the annual monthly average), the following four months have 300mm, 435mm, 443mm and 278mm respectively. December and January are by far the wettest months of the year.
November is third; February is fourth. March is a transitional month and gets 188mm of rainfall. Rainfall can be exceptionally heavy this time of year, but there is also enough time to get outside. As it is hard to predict the day-to-day weather beforehand, visitors are advised to keep an eye on the weather forecast during their vacation.
Sunshine Hours
Because of this amount of rainfall and the related cloud cover, the monsoon season is also the less sunny of the two seasons. This is all relative, though, as the number of sunshine hours never drops below 7 per day (in November and December). There is plenty of sunshine to enjoy all-year round in Borneo. A day without any sunshine is rare in this gorgeous destination, making vacationing in Borneo pleasurable at any time of the year.
Temperature
Temperatures are stable throughout the entire year, with only a slight dip during the monsoon season. The annual average temperature ranges around 28°Cn the monsoon season, the average temperature is 27°C. Nighttime temperatures average 23°C throughout the whole season, while the average daytime temperatures are 30°C in January and February, and 31°C in October, November, December and March.
Humidity
Bornean afternoons are consistantly hot. Although the temperature is lowest this time of year, the increased humidity might make it more uncomfortable than the even warmer afternoons in the dry season.
Summer Weather In Borneo
Rain
The dry season, or northwest monsoon season, runs more or less from April through to September. April tends to be the driest month of the year, receiving only 120mm of rainfall. This total rises gradually until the monsoon begins again, but stays under 200mm until August.
Sunshine Hours
May, June and July are the sunniest months of the year, all enjoying 10 hours of beautiful sunshine each day on average. The other dry season months have between 8 and 9 daily sunshine hours, which is also exceptionally high, considering that Borneo's location around the equator keeps the day length around 12 hours. Sunshine is permanently abundant on the island.
Temperature
When it comes to temperatures, July is the best month of the year with an overall average of 30°C. June and August are 29°C warm on average; April, May and September have an average temperature of 28°C. Afternoons can get extremely hot this time of year, with a peak of 35°C on average in July. Even the nights remain hot. The average low temperature in July is 25°C. In the other months, it ranges around 23-24°C, which isn't significantly lower.