Climate averages 1991–2020
Sandakan weather
in December.
A hot, very wet month: the 10th warmest and the wettest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a hot month in Sandakan: daytime highs average 28.5°C and nights cool to about 24.0°C. By daytime temperature it is the 10th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 289 mm of rain on roughly 30 days, which makes December a very wet month (the wettest month of the year). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 47 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Lahad Datu (94 km away). In December its highs average 28.6°C, about as warm as Sandakan, with 164 mm of rain.
Among the 72 cities listed in Malaysia, Sandakan ranks joint 39th of 72 for the warmest December highs and 42nd of 72 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 72 cities is 28.5°C; Sandakan is level with that mean.
From December to January, average highs fall by 0.6°C to 27.8°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 289 mm to 287 mm.
The annual picture
December in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Sandakan climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27.8°C23.8°C | 23.8°C | 287 | 27.8 | 11.812 h |
| February | 28.1°C23.8°C | 23.8°C | 217 | 23.8 | 11.912 h |
| March | 29.0°C24.1°C | 24.1°C | 197 | 23.5 | 12.112 h |
| April | 30.0°C24.6°C | 24.6°C | 169 | 21.9 | 12.212 h |
| May | 30.3°C24.9°C | 24.9°C | 237 | 26.9 | 12.412 h |
| June | 30.1°C24.6°C | 24.6°C | 244 | 26.3 | 12.512 h |
| July | 30.0°C24.4°C | 24.4°C | 222 | 26.0 | 12.412 h |
| August | 30.2°C24.5°C | 24.5°C | 225 | 26.6 | 12.312 h |
| September | 30.1°C24.4°C | 24.4°C | 243 | 26.8 | 12.212 h |
| October | 29.5°C24.2°C | 24.2°C | 282 | 29.0 | 12.012 h |
| November | 28.9°C24.1°C | 24.1°C | 278 | 28.5 | 11.912 h |
| December, selected | 28.5°C24.0°C | 24.0°C | 289 | 29.5 | 11.812 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
December in nearby cities
- Lahad Datu in DecemberMalaysia · 94 kmHigh 28.6°C · Low 23.8°C · 164 mm rain
- Tawau in DecemberMalaysia · 179 kmHigh 28.9°C · Low 24.2°C · 190 mm rain
- Keningau in DecemberMalaysia · 224 kmHigh 28.7°C · Low 21.5°C · 162 mm rain
- Kota Kinabalu in DecemberMalaysia · 227 kmHigh 28.2°C · Low 23.9°C · 212 mm rain
- Putatan in DecemberMalaysia · 228 kmHigh 28.3°C · Low 23.6°C · 212 mm rain
- Tarakan in DecemberIndonesia · 287 kmHigh 27.9°C · Low 24.6°C · 298 mm rain
- Jolo in DecemberPhilippines · 320 kmHigh 27.8°C · Low 25.8°C · 110 mm rain
- Labuan in DecemberMalaysia · 324 kmHigh 28.5°C · Low 24.8°C · 187 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Sandakan) is explained once on the Sandakan year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.