Mahajanga weather in January

In January, Mahajanga sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 431 mm of rain across 28.5 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in January, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of January to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mahajanga's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mahajanga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
11th warmest
Overnight low
25°
10th coldest
Rainfall
431 mm
28.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:39 AM – 6:29 PM
Cloud cover
81%
12th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mahajanga reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 4°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)
13025
23025
33025
43025
53025
63025
73025
83025
93025
103025
113025
123025
133025
143025
153025
163025
173025
182925
192925
202925
212925
222925
232925
242925
252925
262925
272925
282925
292925
302925
312925

How January really feels in Mahajanga

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.

Mahajanga weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 25°43128.512.83.0
Feb30° / 25°3112412.53.1
Mar31° / 26°1972112.13.5
Apr32° / 25°438.311.74.7
May31° / 24°61.111.36.0
Jun30° / 22°10.211.16.9
Jul29° / 21°10.211.27.3
Aug30° / 21°10.211.57.0
Sep30° / 23°30.611.96.5
Oct31° / 24°174.312.45.5
Nov31° / 25°8015.112.74.2
Dec30° / 25°2052412.93.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22476
32476
42278
52278
62080
72179
82179
92080
102080
112080
122080
132080
142080
152080
162080
172080
181981
191981
201981
211882
221981
231981
241981
251981
261981
271981
281981
292080
302080
312179

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mahajanga gets around 431 mm of rain over 28.5 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 91% and peaks near 94% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
187
287
388
488
588
689
789
889
989
1089
1190
1290
1390
1491
1591
1691
1792
1892
1993
2093
2193
2294
2394
2494
2594
2693
2793
2893
2992
3092
3191

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the miserable band about 53% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
115049
214950
314950
404951
504951
604951
705050
805149
905149
1005248
1105248
1205347
1305347
1405347
1505248
1605248
1705149
1805050
1904852
2004753
2104555
2204456
2304258
2404159
2503961
2603862
2703763
2803763
2903763
3003664
3103763

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 12 h 54 min at the start of January to 12 h 42 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 5:30 AM to 5:47 AM, and sunset from 6:25 PM to 6:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:306:25
212.95:316:26
312.95:316:26
412.95:326:26
512.95:336:27
612.95:336:27
712.95:346:27
812.95:346:28
912.95:356:28
1012.95:356:28
1112.95:366:28
1212.95:376:29
1312.95:376:29
1412.95:386:29
1512.85:386:29
1612.85:396:29
1712.85:396:29
1812.85:406:29
1912.85:416:30
2012.85:416:30
2112.85:426:30
2212.85:426:30
2312.85:436:30
2412.85:436:30
2512.85:446:30
2612.85:446:30
2712.75:456:30
2812.75:456:30
2912.75:466:29
3012.75:466:29
3112.75:476:29

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.18 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.93 kWh/m² to a high of 7.13 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 5.18 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mahajanga

In seasonPeak

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

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

Mahajanga'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 Mahajanga?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mahajanga.

What to pack for Mahajanga in January

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

In January, Mahajanga sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Mahajanga 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 March at about 30°C and coldest in August near 25°C.

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

24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May28Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Mahajanga in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mahajanga peaks around February 14 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 14UV 16Jun 19UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Mahajanga?

Mahajanga sits at 15.7°S, 46.3°E, 20 m above sea level, in Madagascar. The nearest listed city is Marovoay, 56 km away.

Ambato BoenySitampikySoalalaBorizinyMaevatananaMampikonyTsaratanana

Topography around Mahajanga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mahajanga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 45 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 98 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 310 m.

The land around Mahajanga is covered by water (52%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, water (50%) and grassland (33%) within 16 km, and grassland (42%) and water (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
45 m
16 km
98 m
80 km
310 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Marovoay 56 km · Ambato Boeny 94 km · Sitampiky 108 km · Soalala 115 km · Boriziny 146 km · Maevatanana 148 km · Mampikony 148 km · Tsaratanana 186 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 Mahajanga (-15.7167°, 46.3167°, 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).