Best time to visit Kota Bharu

February is the best month in Kota Bharu, scoring 76 out of 100, with May the weakest at 47. The 29-point spread means timing is worth planning around without being decisive. Only that one month come close to the top, which makes the timing narrow.

May is the warmest month at 31 °C and January the coolest at 27.6 °C — a 3.4 °C spread across the year. 150 days a year top 30 °C, more than a third of the calendar, so heat is the baseline here rather than a season.

There is a real wet season here. May, July, August, September, October, November and December carry the rain — up to 29 wet days in a month — while February to March drop as low as 9. That 20-day gap is the biggest single difference between a good month and a bad one in Kota Bharu, and it moves further than the temperature does.

The sea never drops below 27.7 °C, so swimming is on the table year round. Daylight barely moves: about 12.5 hours whatever the month, which removes one variable from the decision entirely.

The three strongest months are February, March, January. The one to think twice about is May. Each month below has its own page with rainfall reliability, extremes, daylight, sea temperature and crowd levels.

Kota Bharu month by month