Ipoh, the capital of Perak state, sits inland in a limestone valley of northwestern Peninsular Malaysia, ringed by dramatic karst hills at approximately 4.60°N, 101.09°E. Just north of the equator, it has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — hot, humid and rainy year-round with no true dry season — slightly hotter than the coast by day.

There is no summer in the temperate sense: temperatures barely change, with daytime highs around 33–34°C — a little hotter than coastal Penang, since Ipoh lacks a sea breeze — and warm, humid nights near 23–24°C. Heavy afternoon and evening thunderstorms are frequent in every month, building over the surrounding karst hills.

Nor is there a true winter, but the relatively drier stretch comes from around January to February, during the northeast monsoon, when the sheltered western interior sees somewhat less rain. The wettest months come at the monsoon transitions, around April–May and September–November, when thunderstorms are heaviest.

Ipoh is wet, receiving on the order of 2,500–2,800 mm of rain a year, with rain in every month and no dry season, though the heaviest falls come in the inter-monsoon periods; the surrounding hills enhance the afternoon storms. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Ipoh sits in a valley of towering limestone karst, whose caves and cliffs shape the local weather — the hills lift the moist afternoon air into towering thunderstorms almost daily. Its inland position gives it hotter days than coastal Malaysia, without the tempering sea breeze, and haze from regional forest fires can shroud the valley in drier years.

To follow any single measurement in Ipoh 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.