Madagascar weather by month

In Antananarivo, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around April 7 and lasts for 7.4 months, ending around November 16. The clearest month is September, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 73% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 17 and lasts for 4.6 months, ending around April 6. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 82% of the time.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Antananarivo is typically calm, near 11 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 4.4 months, from around Jun 3 to Oct 13. The windiest month is July, averaging about 13 km/h (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Oct 14 to Mar 2, with December the calmest month at about 9 km/h.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Antananarivo receives about 5.3 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.7 and 6.8 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.7 months, from around Sep 1 to Mar 24. The brightest month is November, averaging about 6.7 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is June, down near 3.8 kWh/m² — roughly 43% less than the November peak.