Malaysia Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Ipoh, Kuching, George Town, and Singapore
Summary
Malaysia experienced a noticeably warm stretch as the May to July period recorded its 5th highest average temperatures in 87 years of record keeping, sitting 1.2°C above the long-term baseline. The overarching climate narrative, however, is dominated by the tropical Pacific, where a moderate El Niño is rapidly intensifying and forecast to peak at Very Strong between September and November. Localised heavy downpours recently brought flash flooding to parts of the Klang Valley, but meteorologists warn that drier and far hotter weather lies ahead, with conditions set to become drier and warmer over the coming months.
This month in numbers
During the 3-month period from May to July 2026, Malaysia recorded an average temperature of 26.47°C, sitting 1.2°C above the 1961–1990 baseline to rank as the 5th warmest such stretch on record. For the single latest month, July 2026 registered an average temperature of 26.31°C, placing 1.3°C above baseline to mark the 6th warmest month of its name in 87 years of data. This regional heat aligns with a broader global pattern, as global land temperatures reached 1.6°C above baseline in July 2026 to become the 3rd warmest month of its kind on record, while the 3-month global land average ranked 2nd warmest.
What changed
Malaysia has seen a consistent trajectory of rising heat over recent decades, with a long-term warming trend of +1.20°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. Following 2024 as the warmest year on record at 26.44°C and 2025 ranking as the 7th warmest at 25.88°C, 2026 continues this elevated baseline with six consecutive months registering anomalies of +0.8°C or higher. Although Malaysia's monthly temperature anomaly of +1.3°C is moderate compared to northern continental landmasses, the persistent heat across the equatorial country creates cumulative stress on ecosystems and urban populations.
What’s driving change?
The primary atmospheric driver behind the regional warming pattern is ENSO, with the equatorial Pacific currently in a moderate El Niño state that is tracked on our live monitor at ENSO. Historically, El Niño brings warmer and drier conditions to maritime Southeast Asia with roughly 80% reliability, as altered Pacific trade winds shift atmospheric circulation cells and suppress typical rainfall. Combined with global drivers such as and the effect in expanding metropolitan zones, the warming atmosphere exacerbates heat retention across Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo.
Looking ahead
Seasonal climate models indicate a 93% probability that El Niño will intensify into a Very Strong event between September and November, threatening to bring prolonged dry spells and near-record temperatures to Malaysia over the coming months.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – Global
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance (countries & continents) · Met Office (UK) · US states & climate regions. Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.
Typical Climate – Malaysia
Köppen Af · TropicalMalaysia has a tropical climate (Köppen Af: Tropical rainforest), with little variation in temperature or rainfall across the year. May is typically the warmest month, averaging 26.7°C, while January is the coldest at 25.4°C. Annual precipitation averages around 3143mm, spread fairly evenly across the year.
Monthly climate normals (2016–2025) - bar colour and height show average temperature, the shaded area shows average monthly precipitation.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Long-Term Trends
Combined Timeline – Malaysia
Precipitation, Sunshine, Frost and Snow are converted to standard deviations from their own average so they can share an axis with Temperature.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – Malaysia
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.
Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived). Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Malaysia
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Malaysia
Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Records – Malaysia
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Weakly seasonalKöppen Af · TropicalMalaysia is weakly seasonal - temperature barely changes across the year (1.4°C range) and rainfall is fairly even. The clearest climate signal here is overall warming: monthly temperature has risen in every month.
Baseline vs recent monthly temperature climatology. Biggest warming: Jan (+1.8°C).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Climate Systems
Loading ENSO tracker…
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Malaysia
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
Country-level temperature anomaly, sourced from Copernicus ERA5 and Hadley HadCRUT5.
Annual country and global CO₂ emissions, from the Global Carbon Project.
Monthly rainfall - Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD) preferred, World Bank CCKP/CRU TS fallback where GPCC lacks direct coverage.
Frost Days and Heatwave Days (Warm Spell Duration Index), ERA5-derived. World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Monthly snow water-equivalent, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD).
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Malaysia changing?
Malaysia is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
What is the climate like in Malaysia?
Malaysia has a tropical climate (Köppen Af: Tropical rainforest), with little variation in temperature or rainfall across the year. May is typically the warmest month, averaging 26.7°C, while January is the coldest at 25.4°C. Annual precipitation averages around 3143mm, spread fairly evenly across the year.
Where does the climate data for Malaysia come from?
Climate data for Malaysia comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Malaysia climate data cover?
The Malaysia climate profile covers Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Ipoh, Kuching and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Malaysia
How often is the Malaysia climate update refreshed?
The Malaysia climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.
What counts as a Heatwave Day on the Malaysia climate page?
Heatwave Days use the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI-standard heatwave measure: days that are part of a run of 6 or more consecutive days above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that calendar day. The 90th-percentile threshold varies by time of year (a hot day in January is judged differently to one in July) but is fixed to the 1961-1990 baseline for every year shown - it does not shift as the climate warms, which is why Heatwave Days trend upward over time.
Does the Malaysia climate page include frost and snow data?
Yes. Frost Days (days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, World Bank CCKP) and snow water-equivalent (GPCC) are shown alongside temperature and precipitation, each measured against the 1961-1990 baseline where a like-for-like historical comparison is available.