Antananarivo weather in January

In January, Antananarivo sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 287 mm of rain across 22.1 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Antananarivo's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Antananarivo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
17°
12th coldest
Rainfall
287 mm
22.1 wet days
Daylight
13 hours
5:28 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
80%
12th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Antananarivo is capital and largest city of Madagascar.

Air quality
High
PM2.5 32 µg/m³ · 2020
Founded
1625

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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Antananarivo reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12617
22617
32617
42617
52617
62617
72617
82617
92617
102617
112617
122617
132617
142617
152617
162617
172617
182617
192617
202617
212617
222617
232617
242617
252617
262617
272617
282617
292617
302617
312617

Antananarivo weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 17°28722.1134.7
Feb25° / 17°2482012.64.8
Mar25° / 17°14315.412.15.8
Apr24° / 15°32711.67.5
May23° / 13°122.411.18.1
Jun20° / 11°40.710.97.8
Jul19° / 10°51117.6
Aug21° / 10°30.711.48.1
Sep23° / 11°51.111.98.6
Oct25° / 13°274.812.47.9
Nov27° / 15°7910.312.96.6
Dec26° / 17°18117.513.15.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32080
41981
51981
61882
71783
81783
91783
101783
111684
121684
131783
141783
151882
161882
171882
181882
191783
201783
211783
221783
231783
241882
251882
261882
271882
281981
291981
301981
312080

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Antananarivo gets around 287 mm of rain over 22.1 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 71% and peaks near 74% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
166
267
367
468
569
669
769
870
970
1070
1170
1270
1371
1471
1571
1671
1772
1872
1972
2072
2173
2273
2373
2473
2574
2674
2774
2874
2974
3074
3173

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 73% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 8% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1225694
2125695
3124705
4124705
5123715
6123715
7123706
8122716
9122716
10122716
11122716
12122716
13022717
14021727
15021727
16020737
17019738
18019738
19018748
20017749
21016759
22016759
230157510
240157510
250147511
260147511
270147511
280147511
290147511
300147511
310147511

Wind in January

Winds average 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 54 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 5:19 AM to 5:37 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.15:196:27
213.15:206:27
313.15:216:27
413.15:216:28
513.15:226:28
613.15:226:28
713.15:236:28
813.15:246:29
913.15:246:29
1013.15:256:29
1113.15:256:29
1213.15:266:29
1313.05:276:30
1413.05:276:30
1513.05:286:30
1613.05:286:30
1713.05:296:30
1813.05:306:30
1913.05:306:30
2013.05:316:30
2113.05:326:30
2213.05:326:30
2313.05:336:30
2412.95:336:30
2512.95:346:30
2612.95:356:30
2712.95:356:30
2812.95:366:29
2912.95:366:29
3012.95:376:29
3112.95:376:29

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.8 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in November across the year — January's 5.52 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Antananarivo

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is January a good time to visit Antananarivo?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Antananarivo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Antananarivo in January

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

In January, Antananarivo sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Antananarivo in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Antananarivo peaks around February 11 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highVery highExtremeFeb 11UV 16Jun 17UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Antananarivo 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 Antananarivo is worst in October — around 49 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.7× the cleanest month (January, 13 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Antananarivo's WHO annual average of 32 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorPoorModerateOct 1747 µg/m³Jan 1514 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar23Moderate
Apr30Moderate
May43Poor
Jun45Poor
Jul43Poor
Aug38Poor
Sep31Moderate
Oct49Poor
Nov34Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Antananarivo?

Antananarivo sits at 18.9°S, 47.5°E, 1,274 m above sea level, in Madagascar. The nearest listed city is Ivato, 14 km away.

Topography around Antananarivo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Antananarivo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 181 m around an average of 1,278 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 366 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,018 m.

The land around Antananarivo is covered by artificial surfaces (76%) within 3 km, cropland (47%) and grassland (32%) within 16 km, and grassland (62%) and cropland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
181 m
16 km
366 m
80 km
2,018 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Ivato 14 km · Ambohidratrimo 15 km · Alarobia 22 km · Imerintsiatosika 24 km · Manjakandriana 28 km · Ambohitrolomahitsy 28 km · Ankazondandy 35 km · Sadabe 36 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 Antananarivo (-18.9137°, 47.5361°, elevation 1,274 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. 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).