Mahajanga weather in March

In March, Mahajanga sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 197 mm of rain across 21 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in March, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Mahajanga's 9th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mahajanga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
5th warmest
Overnight low
26°
12th coldest
Rainfall
197 mm
21 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:01 AM – 6:08 PM
Cloud cover
61%
9th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month.

A typical March day in Mahajanga reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C warmer than February and about 1°C cooler than April.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13025
23025
33025
43025
53025
63025
73025
83025
93026
103026
113126
123126
133126
143126
153126
163126
173126
183126
193126
203126
213126
223126
233126
243126
253126
263126
273126
283126
293126
303126
313126

How March really feels in Mahajanga

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March 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 March is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Mahajanga weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23466
33565
43565
53664
63862
73862
83862
93961
104060
114159
124258
134357
144456
154555
164654
174753
184852
195050
205149
215248
225347
235545
245644
255743
265941
276040
286238
296337
306436
316634

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Mahajanga gets around 197 mm of rain over 21 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 67% and peaks near 82% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
182
281
380
480
579
678
777
876
975
1074
1173
1272
1371
1470
1569
1668
1767
1866
1965
2064
2163
2262
2360
2459
2558
2657
2755
2854
2952
3051
3149

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the miserable band about 52% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
104258
204258
304258
404258
504258
604258
704258
804258
904258
1004258
1114257
1214356
1314356
1414356
1514356
1614356
1714455
1814455
1914554
2014653
2114752
2214950
2315049
2415247
2515346
2615544
2715742
2825840
2926038
3026236
3126533

Wind in March

Winds average 10 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 5:58 AM to 6:03 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 5:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:586:18
212.35:586:17
312.35:596:17
412.35:596:16
512.35:596:15
612.35:596:15
712.25:596:14
812.26:006:13
912.26:006:13
1012.26:006:12
1112.26:006:11
1212.26:006:11
1312.26:016:10
1412.16:016:09
1512.16:016:08
1612.16:016:08
1712.16:016:07
1812.16:016:06
1912.16:026:05
2012.06:026:05
2112.06:026:04
2212.06:026:03
2312.06:026:02
2412.06:026:02
2512.06:026:01
2612.06:036:00
2711.96:035:59
2811.96:035:59
2911.96:035:58
3011.96:035:57
3111.96:035:56

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.81 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 — March's 5.81 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Mahajanga

In seasonPeak

In March, 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 March a good time to visit Mahajanga?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mahajanga.

What to pack for Mahajanga in March

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

In March, Mahajanga sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Mahajanga in March

The nearest coast averages about 30°C in March — 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 March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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
March 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).