Antananarivo weather in May

In May, Antananarivo sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 12 mm of rain across 2.4 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of May to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Antananarivo's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Antananarivo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
9th warmest
Overnight low
13°
5th coldest
Rainfall
12 mm
2.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:13 AM – 5:19 PM
Cloud cover
50%
5th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.2 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.1
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Antananarivo reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12414
22414
32414
42314
52314
62314
72314
82314
92314
102313
112313
122313
132313
142313
152313
162213
172213
182213
192213
202213
212213
222212
232212
242212
252212
262212
272212
282212
292212
302212
312212

Antananarivo weather by month

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

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 40%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26238
36238
46040
56040
65941
75941
85842
95842
105842
115743
125743
135743
145743
155842
165842
175842
185941
195941
206040
216040
226139
236139
246139
256139
266238
276238
286238
296337
306337
316337

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Antananarivo gets around 12 mm of rain over 2.4 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 7% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
113
212
312
411
511
611
711
810
910
1010
119
129
138
148
158
167
177
186
196
206
215
225
235
245
254
264
274
284
294
304
313

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 52% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1266410
227658
329647
430646
531636
633625
735605
837585
939565
1041554
1143534
1246504
1348484
1451463
1553443
1655423
1757403
1859392
1961372
2062362
2163352
2265341
2366331
2466331
2567321
2668311
2770300
2871290
2973270
3074260
3176240

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 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
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

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

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:07 AM to 6:19 AM, and sunset from 5:27 PM to 5:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:075:27
211.36:085:26
311.36:085:26
411.36:085:25
511.36:095:24
611.26:095:24
711.26:095:23
811.26:105:23
911.26:105:22
1011.26:115:22
1111.26:115:21
1211.26:115:21
1311.16:125:21
1411.16:125:20
1511.16:125:20
1611.16:135:19
1711.16:135:19
1811.16:145:19
1911.16:145:18
2011.16:145:18
2111.16:155:18
2211.06:155:18
2311.06:155:17
2411.06:165:17
2511.06:165:17
2611.06:175:17
2711.06:175:16
2811.06:175:16
2911.06:185:16
3011.06:185:16
3111.06:195:16

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.2 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 — May's 4.2 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.1Bright
224.1Bright
234.1Bright
244.1Bright
254.1Bright
264.0Bright
274.0Bright
284.0Bright
294.0Bright
304.0Bright
314.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Antananarivo

In seasonPeak

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

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 May a good time to visit Antananarivo?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Antananarivo for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Antananarivo in May

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

In May, Antananarivo sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes.

light clothes

UV index in Antananarivo in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (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 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 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
May 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).