Madagascar's climate varies by region - it's arid dry in the south, temperate in the center of the island and tropical along the coasts. The rainy season is usually from November to March and the dry season from April to October.
The weather of the east coast is shaped by trade winds that bring a lot of rainfall, averaging up to 350 cm (137.8 in) annually. The rainy season also brings heavy cyclones to the east coast. Since the central highlands form a barrier for the rainy winds, the inland areas are much drier and also cooler, because of the altitude. The weather conditions in the mountains and central highlands (including the capital city Antananarivo) are thundery between November and April and dry, cool and windy the rest of the year.
Most pleasant time to explore Madagascar is probably between July and November - the driest and coolest months - or later in April.
Weather Averages in Madagascar
Antananarivo |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Average Temperature |
71°F
22°C | 71°F
22°C | 70°F
21°C | 69°F
21°C | 65°F
18°C | 61°F
16°C | 59°F
15°C | 61°F
16°C | 64°F
18°C | 67°F
19°C | 69°F
21°C | 70°F
21°C |
| Average High Temperature |
78°F
26°C | 77°F
25°C | 77°F
25°C | 75°F
24°C | 72°F
22°C | 68°F
20°C | 67°F
19°C | 68°F
20°C | 73°F
23°C | 77°F
25°C | 78°F
26°C | 77°F
25°C |
| Average Low Temperature |
64°F
18°C | 64°F
18°C | 63°F
17°C | 61°F
16°C | 57°F
14°C | 53°F
12°C | 51°F
11°C | 52°F
11°C | 54°F
12°C | 58°F
14°C | 61°F
16°C | 63°F
17°C |
| Highest Recorded Temperature |
91°F
33°C | 97°F
36°C | 91°F
33°C | 89°F
32°C | 86°F
30°C | 91°F
33°C | 84°F
29°C | 90°F
32°C | 90°F
32°C | 91°F
33°C | 86°F
30°C | 86°F
30°C |
| Lowest Recorded Temperature |
55°F
13°C | 50°F
10°C | 55°F
13°C | 32°F
0°C | 32°F
0°C | 32°F
0°C | 32°F
0°C | 41°F
5°C | 32°F
0°C | 32°F
0°C | 36°F
2°C | 32°F
0°C |
| Average Precipitation |
11"
28cm | 10"
25cm | 8"
20cm | 2"
5cm | 1"
3cm | 0"
0cm | 0"
0cm | 0"
0cm | 1"
3cm | 2"
5cm | 6"
15cm | 11"
28cm |
Antsiranana |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Average Temperature |
81°F
27°C | 80°F
27°C | 81°F
27°C | 81°F
27°C | 80°F
27°C | 77°F
25°C | 76°F
24°C | 76°F
24°C | 77°F
25°C | 79°F
26°C | 81°F
27°C | 82°F
28°C |
| Average High Temperature |
85°F
29°C | 84°F
29°C | 86°F
30°C | 86°F
30°C | 85°F
29°C | 83°F
28°C | 82°F
28°C | 82°F
28°C | 83°F
28°C | 85°F
29°C | 87°F
31°C | 87°F
31°C |
| Average Low Temperature |
76°F
24°C | 75°F
24°C | 75°F
24°C | 75°F
24°C | 74°F
23°C | 71°F
22°C | 70°F
21°C | 70°F
21°C | 71°F
22°C | 73°F
23°C | 75°F
24°C | 76°F
24°C |
| Highest Recorded Temperature |
97°F
36°C | 93°F
34°C | 99°F
37°C | 100°F
38°C | 97°F
36°C | 91°F
33°C | 91°F
33°C | 96°F
36°C | 91°F
33°C | 100°F
38°C | 99°F
37°C | 102°F
39°C |
| Lowest Recorded Temperature |
68°F
20°C | 63°F
17°C | 64°F
18°C | 64°F
18°C | 59°F
15°C | 54°F
12°C | 57°F
14°C | 60°F
16°C | 62°F
17°C | 61°F
16°C | 57°F
14°C | 61°F
16°C |
| Average Number of Days With Precipitation |
13
days | 12
days | 11
days | 8
days | 5
days | 5
days | 7
days | 8
days | 5
days | 7
days | 6
days | 11
days |
Toliara |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Average Temperature |
82°F
28°C | 80°F
27°C | 79°F
26°C | 76°F
24°C | 72°F
22°C | 71°F
22°C | 69°F
21°C | 69°F
21°C | 72°F
22°C | 75°F
24°C | 78°F
26°C | 81°F
27°C |
| Average High Temperature |
92°F
33°C | 89°F
32°C | 89°F
32°C | 89°F
32°C | 84°F
29°C | 81°F
27°C | 81°F
27°C | 80°F
27°C | 83°F
28°C | 86°F
30°C | 87°F
31°C | 91°F
33°C |
| Average Low Temperature |
72°F
22°C | 71°F
22°C | 69°F
21°C | 64°F
18°C | 61°F
16°C | 61°F
16°C | 58°F
14°C | 58°F
14°C | 61°F
16°C | 65°F
18°C | 69°F
21°C | 71°F
22°C |
| Highest Recorded Temperature |
104°F
40°C | 108°F
42°C | 104°F
40°C | 102°F
39°C | 99°F
37°C | 95°F
35°C | 95°F
35°C | 95°F
35°C | 95°F
35°C | 98°F
37°C | 101°F
38°C | 104°F
40°C |
| Lowest Recorded Temperature |
55°F
13°C | 54°F
12°C | 55°F
13°C | 50°F
10°C | 48°F
9°C | 46°F
8°C | 44°F
7°C | 43°F
6°C | 46°F
8°C | 50°F
10°C | 54°F
12°C | 54°F
12°C |
| Average Precipitation |
3"
8cm | 3"
8cm | 2"
5cm | 0"
0cm | 1"
3cm | 1"
3cm | 0"
0cm | 0"
0cm | 0"
0cm | 1"
3cm | 2"
5cm | 2"
5cm |
| Average Number of Days With Precipitation |
6
days | 6
days | 4
days | 1
days | 2
days | 1
days | 0
days | 0
days | 1
days | 1
days | 3
days | 4
days |
