Malaysia's monsoon seasons, region by region

MetMalaysia describes Malaysia's climate as uniform temperature, high humidity and copious rainfall, with generally light winds. The seasons are set by the wind: the northeast monsoon, the southwest monsoon, and two shorter inter-monsoon seasons between them.

During the northeast monsoon, exposed areas — the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, western Sarawak and the northeast coast of Sabah — get heavy rain spells, while inland areas sheltered by mountain ranges are relatively free from its influence.

Source: Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia (MetMalaysia) — Malaysia's Climate, read 8 October 2026.

MetMalaysia sets out three rainfall patterns for Peninsular Malaysia:

• East coast states: November, December and January are the wettest months; June and July are the driest in most districts
• Most of the rest of the Peninsula: two rainy peaks — the main one in October–November, a second in April–May — with drier spells between
• Southwest coastal area: early-morning squalls known as "Sumatras" from May to August; October and November are the wettest months and February the driest

Even in the wettest season, MetMalaysia notes it's rare to go several days with no sunshine at all except during the northeast monsoon — and on average Malaysia gets about 6 hours of sunshine a day.

For residents, the monsoons are mostly about timing. East coast island trips are best planned outside the November–January peak, while the drier June–July window suits the east coast well. On most of the west coast, expect the wettest weather in October and November.

The highlands are a different world: MetMalaysia notes that in areas such as Cameron Highlands, the air temperature is substantially lower — one reason they're such a popular weekend escape from the heat.