Geographical location
Short for KL by abbreviationfinder, Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia and is located around 35 kilometers from the west coast. So Kuala Lumpur, the country’s economic and cultural center, is not by the sea.
The city is home to more than 1.5 million people, and the entire metropolitan area of Kuala Lumpur comprises a catchment area of more than 8 million people. In 1980 there were only just under 950,000 people in the entire metropolitan area, which shows the rapid growth.
Around half of all residents have Chinese roots, around 40 percent are Malay and around 6 percent are Indian. In general, Malaysia is known as a multicultural state in which different ethnicities and religions live peacefully together. Kuala Lumpur is no exception here.
In 1957, Kuala Lumpur became the capital of the then independent Malaya, which emerged from the British settlements of Penang and Malacca. In 1963 Malaysia was founded and Kuala Lumpur was henceforth the capital of one of the most up-and-coming emerging countries in Southeast Asia.
The cityscape has some traditional neighborhoods, but also an impressive skyline with modern high-rise buildings. The defining landmark of KL are the Petronas Towers.
Climate in Kuala Lumpur
It is consistently hot in Kuala Lumpur all year round. Usually, temperatures climb just over 30 ° Celsius in the early afternoon and fall again to a little below 20 ° C at night. Larger amounts of rain usually only fall in short showers with unbelievable volume. It then rains heavily that the traffic comes to a standstill and the streets are briefly flooded.
There is no clearly definable dry season, with the summer months of June and July being the driest months. The skies over Kuala Lumpur are often cloudy and it is generally hot with high humidity. Most visitors get along well with the heat of the day and the coolness of the night.
Kuala Lumpur and Malacca are very close to the equator. That is why the length of the day and the climate vary little over the course of the year. There are also no seasons. Usually the daytime temperature is between 25 ° C and slightly above 30 degrees. Temperatures below 20 ° C are very rare, even at night. However, the humidity is very high, often around 90%.
The pattern of the rain is amazingly even. Heavy showers usually fall in the afternoon and early morning hours. Evening rain, on the other hand, is very unusual. March to May and October to December are more rainy than the remaining months.
In practice, this means: oppressive humidity during the day and often a cloudy sky.
Most Europeans in normal health find Kuala Lumpur hot, but not unbearable. When designing the city, great emphasis was placed on quiet and shadow areas. During lunchtime, activities in air-conditioned rooms are recommended, although this is easily possible and common in Kuala Lumpur.
When is the best time to visit Kuala Lumpur?
Since Kuala Lumpur is not a destination for a relaxing or beach holiday, travelers are not particularly dependent on the weather. In this respect, the city is generally wonderful to travel to all year round, especially since the weather is largely similar over the course of the year. Nevertheless, we would of course like to make recommendations so that you can avoid the wetter months.
We therefore recommend January, February, June, July and August as the best time to visit Kuala Lumpur. Compared to the rest of the season, they are drier, so they have less heavy rain showers and are therefore less humid. This travel time is ideal for extensive excursions and city explorations.
Temperatures, precipitation, sunshine
| Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Daytime temperature | 32 ° C | 33 ° C | 33 ° C | 33 ° C | 33 ° C | 33 ° C | 32 ° C | 32 ° C | 32 ° C | 32 ° C | 31 ° C | 32 ° C |
| Night temperature | 22 ° C | 22 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C |
| Water temperature | 27 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 29 ° C | 29 ° C | 29 ° C | 29 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C |
| Precipitation in mm | 163 | 145 | 218 | 285 | 184 | 127 | 129 | 146 | 192 | 272 | 275 | 230 |
| Rainy days | 16 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 20 |
| Hours of sunshine | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Sunrise | 7:25 | 7:25 | 7:20 | 7:10 | 7:00 | 7:05 | 7:10 | 7:10 | 7:05 | 6:55 | 7:00 | 7:10 |
| Sunset | 19:20 | 7:30 p.m. | 19:25 | 19:20 | 19:15 | 19:25 | 7:30 p.m. | 19:25 | 19:10 | 19:00 | 18:55 | 19:05 |
Temperatures
The annual average temperature is 27.5 ° C. For comparison: Munich reaches an average of 8.6 ° C, in Berlin it is 9.6 ° C. The warmest month is April (28.2 ° C), coldest month of January with mean values of 27 ° C. The maximum water temperature is 29 ° C. Comfortable bathing is possible at these temperatures. All months have a water temperature of at least 21 ° C and are therefore suitable for a beach holiday.
Precipitation
The annual precipitation is 2366 mm on 215 days with precipitation. For comparison: In Munich, 967 mm, in Berlin 570 mm, precipitation is measured annually. The months of March, April, May, September, October, November and December are considered the rainy season, as more than 175 mm of precipitation can be expected per month. Overall, about 1656 mm of precipitation can be expected in the rainy season. Snowfall is generally not expected in any month.
Sunshine
As our climate table shows, February is the sunniest month with an average of 6.8 hours of sunshine per day. On average over the year, the sun shines 6.1 hours per day. For comparison: In Munich and Berlin, the sun shines an average of 4.7 hours per day throughout the year.
Cities nearby
The following larger towns are nearby and have a similar climate: Klang, Kampung Baru Subang, Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Kajang, Ampang, Rawang and Selangor.
Sights & attractions
The city of Kuala Lumpur is not particularly well-known as an independent travel destination, as many travelers see the city only as the “gateway to Southeast Asia” and often don’t even leave the airport: completely wrongly! KL is a fascinating and pleasant place for a city trip and several days. Less regulated and westernized than neighboring Singapore, but much safer, friendlier and easier to understand than Bangkok. It’s a multi-layered Asian experience in a relatively handy and inexpensive package. Temples, mosques, street markets and shops full of exotic goods.
Streets filled with irresistible cooking smells and a night market where you can haggle for special offers to your heart’s content. But the best part: in the old city center and in Chinatown there are still enough nooks and crannies with curiosities and sights that are just waiting to be discovered by adventurous travelers. Jalan Raja and its immediate surroundings are really worth seeing. Within a radius of a few hundred meters you will find some colonial buildings, many of which bear the signature of the two English architects AC Norman and AB Hubback.
Enthusiastic about the minarets and turrets of Mughal India, they interwoven these elements with the English architectural style and gave Kuala Lumpur some unique public buildings. On top of that, in Kuala Lumpur you get great luxury hotels at a real 5 star level at really affordable prices. This is the perfect way to end the evening after an impressive day in the city, there are usually even large pool and spa facilities for complete relaxation.
Kuala Lumpur weather in March, April and May
Daily temperatures averaging 33 ° C can be expected over the next three months. The temperatures hardly fluctuate during this time.
Do you want to go on a beach holiday? The water temperatures are in March, April and May 28-29 ° C. This is great weather for a great time on the beach and in the water.
The expected rainfall is around 17 days in March, around 19 days in April and around 17 days in May.
In the period from March to May, the sun shines an average of 7 hours a day.
