The Weather on Madagascar

Madagascar Weather
The Madagascar weather is incredibly varied due to the size and diversity of the Island of Madagascar. Southern Madagascar crosses the tropic of Capricorn leaving most of the country of Madagascar in the Indian ocean equatorial tropic region.

Rainy season: November to March.
Dry season: April to October
Cyclone Season: January to March
The south and west regions are hot and dry.
Monsoons bring storms and cyclones to the east and north from December to March.
The mountains, including Antananarivo, are warm and thundery from November to April and dry, cool and windy the rest of the year

Madagascar enjoys 7 to 8 hours of sunshine daily throughout the year.

Climate & when to go
Any time of year is fine for a visit except from January to March, when heavy rainfall in many areas can make some roads all but impassable, and when there’s a high risk of cyclones in the east and northeast. In general, the best time to travel in most areas is April and October/November. The coolest time to travel anywhere is during the dry season (May to October), but during this time the hauts plateaux (central highlands; which include Antananarivo) can get cold and windy, with freezing showers.

The west and southwest get searingly hot during summer, but the winter months in these regions are pleasant, with blue skies, cooler temperatures and little rain. Most rain in the northeast falls from July to September.

Average maximum temperatures vary from about 30°C in coastal areas (higher in summer) to around 25°C on the hauts plateaux. In Antananarivo and other highland areas, temperatures during winter can drop to 10°C and even lower during the night.

Hotels and popular tourist attractions often get full, and prices go up, during the European holiday period from July to August, and during Christmas and Easter.