Typhoons in Malaysia
Typhoons only occur occasionally in Malaysia. On average, they happen about 2 times a year.The typhoon season in the Pacific usually begins with less severe storms in April and does not end until November. The most severe typhoons usually occur in August and September.
The most severe typhoon to make landfall in Malaysia in the past 12 months was »«. It reached a wind speed of up to 43 km/h on December 17, 2021 at 5:00 am local time near Cukai and was 28 kilometers in diameter at the time. According to the internationally accepted Saffir-Simpson classification, this corresponded to a tropical depression typhoon. On the open sea, speeds of up to 46 km/h were even measured.
Other natural hazards in Malaysia:
› Tsunamis
› The most severe natural disasters worldwide
Back to overview: Malaysia
Current satellite image of the western Pacific
21.05.2022 © CIMSS University of Wisconsin-Madison
Most violent typhoons in Malaysia since 2018
Rai: 13th to 21st December 2021
Wind speed:
max. 267 km/h
Diameter:
max. 185 km
Eye:
max. 56 km
Air pressure:
below 915 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 5
The typhoon did not make direct landfall. On December 17th, 2021 at 11:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 418 km north of Kudat in Sabah.
Krovanh: 17th to 25th December 2020
Region:
Bay of Bengal
Wind speed:
max. 65 km/h
Diameter:
max. 667 km
Air pressure:
below 1000 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
The typhoon did not make direct landfall. On December 24th, 2020 at 2:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 176 km northwest of Tumpat in Kelantan.
Kammuri: 24th November to 6th December 2019
Wind speed:
max. 217 km/h
Diameter:
max. 1000 km
Air pressure:
below 940 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 4
The typhoon did not make direct landfall. On December 06th, 2019 at 8:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 376 km northeast of Kota Belud in Sabah.
Kalmaegi: 9th to 22nd November 2019
Wind speed:
max. 161 km/h
Diameter:
max. 722 km
Air pressure:
below 964 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 2
The typhoon did not make direct landfall. On November 22nd, 2019 at 11:00 am it had the shortest distance at about 581 km northeast of Kudat in Sabah.
Bulbul:matmo: 28th October to 11th November 2019
Wind speed:
max. 139 km/h
Diameter:
max. 704 km
Air pressure:
below 976 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 1
The typhoon did not make direct landfall. On October 28th, 2019 at 11:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 430 km north of Kudat in Sabah.
These evaluations are based on data from the National Centers for Environmental Information of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Individual data have been summarized or translated.