Ambanja weather in January

In January, Ambanja sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 521 mm of rain across 29.9 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Ambanja's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ambanja's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
5th warmest
Overnight low
22°
12th coldest
Rainfall
521 mm
29.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:34 AM – 6:17 PM
Cloud cover
87%
12th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.07 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Ambanja is city and commune of Madagascar.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Ambanja reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12922
22922
32922
42922
52922
62922
72922
82922
92922
102922
112922
122922
132922
142922
152922
162922
172922
182922
192922
202922
212922
222922
232922
242922
252922
262922
272922
282922
292922
302922
312922

How January really feels in Ambanja

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Ambanja weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 22°52129.912.72.8
Feb29° / 22°44026.812.52.8
Mar30° / 22°35628.712.12.9
Apr30° / 21°14921.711.73.8
May29° / 20°5312.511.45.6
Jun28° / 19°329.611.26.7
Jul28° / 18°3811.111.36.6
Aug28° / 18°5315.211.56.0
Sep28° / 19°6316.611.95.1
Oct29° / 21°10219.912.34.5
Nov29° / 22°19024.612.63.6
Dec29° / 22°35229.612.82.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 92%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11189
21189
31090
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
111090
121090
131090
141090
151090
161090
17991
18991
19991
20991
21892
22892
23793
24793
25793
26694
27694
28694
29694
30694
31694

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Ambanja gets around 521 mm of rain over 29.9 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 96% and peaks near 97% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
197
297
397
497
597
697
797
896
996
1096
1196
1296
1396
1496
1596
1696
1796
1896
1996
2096
2196
2296
2396
2497
2597
2697
2797
2897
2997
3097
3197

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 98% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
12980
22980
32980
42980
52980
62980
72980
82980
92980
102980
112980
122980
132980
142971
152971
162971
172971
181981
191981
201981
211981
221981
231981
241981
250991
260991
270991
280991
291981
301981
311981

Wind in January

Winds average 4 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:26 AM to 5:41 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:266:13
212.85:266:14
312.85:276:14
412.85:276:14
512.85:286:15
612.85:286:15
712.85:296:15
812.85:296:15
912.85:306:16
1012.85:306:16
1112.85:316:16
1212.75:326:16
1312.75:326:17
1412.75:336:17
1512.75:336:17
1612.75:346:17
1712.75:346:17
1812.75:356:18
1912.75:356:18
2012.75:366:18
2112.75:366:18
2212.75:376:18
2312.75:376:18
2412.75:386:18
2512.75:386:18
2612.75:396:18
2712.65:396:18
2812.65:406:18
2912.65:406:18
3012.65:416:18
3112.65:416:18

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.07 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.68 kWh/m² to a high of 6.37 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 5.07 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Ambanja

In seasonPeak

In January, Ambanja sits inside its cyclone and monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Ambanja sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Ambanja's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Ambanja?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

2.8
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ambanja.

What to pack for Ambanja in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Ambanja sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 30 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Ambanja in January

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in August near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul27Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct28Warm
Nov28Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Ambanja in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ambanja peaks around February 13 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 8 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 13UV 15Jun 20UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Ambanja in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Ambanja is worst in November — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.1× the cleanest month (July, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateNov 1223 µg/m³Jul 156 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb7Good
Mar7Good
Apr7Good
May6Good
Jun6Good
Jul6Good
Aug6Good
Sep12Good
Oct20Moderate
Nov23Moderate
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ambanja?

Ambanja sits at 13.7°S, 48.5°E, 20 m above sea level, in Madagascar. The nearest listed city is Hell-Ville, 36 km away.

BealananaAntsohihyAndapa

Topography around Ambanja

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Ambanja.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ambanja has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 168 m around an average of 19 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 552 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,861 m.

The land around Ambanja is covered by trees (44%) and grassland (37%) within 3 km, trees (45%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and trees (38%), water (37%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
168 m
16 km
552 m
80 km
2,861 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Hell-Ville 36 km · Ambarakaraka 49 km · Maromandia 73 km · Antsohimbondrona 78 km · Ambilobe 83 km · Bealanana 102 km · Antsohihy 144 km · Andapa 169 km

Madagascar travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 31% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$599
2025
Happiness
4.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
22%
of population, 2024
Road deaths
29.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 457
Religion
Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar/Malagasy Lutheran Church/Anglican Church 34%Roman Catholic 32%none 22%other Christian 8%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Ambanja (-13.669°, 48.453°, elevation 20 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).