Malaysia Climate
Top 5 Cities: Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Ipoh, Kuching, George Town, and Singapore
This month in numbers
Malaysia experienced a significantly warmer April, with the average temperature reaching 26.02°C, an anomaly of +0.7°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranked as the 19th warmest April in 86 years of records. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C. The three-month period from February to April 2026 also saw Malaysia record its 11th warmest such period on record, with an average temperature of 25.79°C, an anomaly of +0.9°C.
What changed
The recent three-month period (February–April 2026) in Malaysia was notably warmer, continuing a trend of elevated temperatures. This aligns with the broader global picture, as global land temperatures for the same period ranked as the 2nd warmest on record. Malaysia's 1-month anomaly for April was 1.04°C cooler than the average for the Asia group, in which it is situated. The country has also experienced a drought event from late January to late May 2026, and a flood event in mid-May 2026, representing 100% of the annual total for both types of events, indicating an unusual concentration. More information on these events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
What’s driving change?
The warming trend in Malaysia is influenced by the broader global warming trend, with the country's long-term average temperature already 1.23°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The current climate patterns are also being shaped by the evolving ENSO state. While the current NOAA ONI 3-month (February-April 2026) indicates Neutral conditions, the forecast strongly points towards an El Niño developing from May-July 2026 onwards, with a 98% probability by August-October 2026. Historically, El Niño phases are associated with warmer and drier conditions in Maritime Southeast Asia, often leading to severe drought and increased risk of peatland and forest fires. This is a significant teleconnection for the region and can be tracked further at ENSO tracker. The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) was also in a dry phase earlier in the year, contributing to warmer and drier conditions, particularly in northern Malaysia.
Looking ahead
The strong forecast for an El Niño event in the coming months suggests that Malaysia should anticipate a continuation of warmer temperatures and potentially drier conditions, increasing the risk of drought and related impacts.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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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.
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 trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
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.