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Batam, an Indonesian island city in the Riau Archipelago, sits in the Strait of Malacca just south of Singapore, a low, near-equatorial island at approximately 1.13°N, 104.05°E. Almost on the equator, it has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — hot, humid and rainy year-round with no true dry season — where only the intensity of the rain marks the passing of the year.
There is no summer in the temperate sense: temperatures barely change, with daytime highs around 31–32°C and warm, humid nights near 24–25°C every month, and humidity consistently high. The typical rhythm is a hot, bright morning giving way to towering afternoon thunderstorms and heavy downpours, with sea breezes off the strait offering some relief.
Nor is there a true winter, but the relatively drier, more comfortable stretch comes around June and July, when downpours ease a little and sunshine is more frequent. The wettest months are typically November to January, driven by the northeast monsoon; even the driest months still see substantial rain, so no month is genuinely dry.
Batam is wet, receiving on the order of 2,300–2,600 mm of rain a year, with rain in every month and no true dry season, though the northeast monsoon brings a peak from around November to January and June to July is relatively drier. The rain comes mostly as intense afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Sitting almost on the equator in the Strait of Malacca, Batam has no dry season at all — thunderstorms can erupt on almost any day of the year, and the surrounding sea keeps humidity relentlessly high. Its climate closely mirrors that of neighbouring Singapore, just a short ferry ride north across the strait.
To follow any single measurement in Batam more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.