Ambanja weather in May

In May, Ambanja sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 53 mm of rain across 12.5 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 9th-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 62% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ambanja's 2nd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ambanja's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
8th warmest
Overnight low
20°
5th coldest
Rainfall
53 mm
12.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:01 AM – 5:24 PM
Cloud cover
39%
2nd clearest
Wind
4 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Ambanja is city and commune of Madagascar.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical May day in Ambanja reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12921
22921
32921
42921
52921
62921
72921
82921
92921
102921
112920
122920
132920
142920
152920
162920
172920
182920
192920
202920
212920
222920
232920
242920
252820
262820
272820
282819
292819
302819
312819

How May really feels in Ambanja

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 5 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
5
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Ambanja weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 9th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17921
27921
38119
48119
58119
68218
78218
88218
98218
108317
118317
128317
138317
148317
158317
168317
178416
188515
198515
208515
218515
228614
238614
248614
258713
268713
278713
288812
298812
308713
318713

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ambanja gets around 53 mm of rain over 12.5 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 41% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
154
253
353
452
551
650
750
849
948
1047
1146
1245
1344
1443
1542
1641
1740
1838
1937
2036
2135
2234
2333
2433
2533
2632
2732
2832
2932
3032
3132

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 96% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
101783
201882
302080
402278
502377
602674
702872
813069
913366
1013663
1113861
1214158
1314455
1424751
1524949
1625246
1735443
1835740
1945937
2046135
2146432
2256530
2356728
2466925
2567024
2677122
2787220
2887319
2997417
30107416
31117514

Wind in May

Winds average 4 km/h in May.

Across May, 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 May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:58 AM to 6:06 AM, and sunset from 5:29 PM to 5:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:585:29
211.55:585:29
311.55:585:28
411.55:585:28
511.55:595:27
611.55:595:27
711.55:595:26
811.45:595:26
911.46:005:26
1011.46:005:25
1111.46:005:25
1211.46:005:25
1311.46:015:24
1411.46:015:24
1511.46:015:24
1611.46:015:24
1711.46:025:23
1811.46:025:23
1911.36:025:23
2011.36:025:23
2111.36:035:22
2211.36:035:22
2311.36:035:22
2411.36:045:22
2511.36:045:22
2611.36:045:22
2711.36:055:22
2811.36:055:22
2911.36:055:21
3011.36:055:21
3111.36:065:21

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5 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 — May's 5 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Ambanja

In seasonPeak

None of Ambanja's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

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 May a good time to visit Ambanja?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Ambanja for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Ambanja in May

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

In May, Ambanja sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Ambanja in May

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).