Mahajanga weather in May

In May, Mahajanga sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 6 mm of rain across 1.1 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 8th-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 83% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Mahajanga's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mahajanga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
24°
5th coldest
Rainfall
6 mm
1.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
6:13 AM – 5:29 PM
Cloud cover
21%
5th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical May day in Mahajanga reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13225
23225
33125
43125
53125
63125
73125
83124
93124
103124
113124
123124
133124
143124
153124
163124
173124
183124
193124
203124
213124
223124
233123
243123
253123
263123
273123
283123
293023
303023
313023

How May really feels in Mahajanga

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 26 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
26
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.

Mahajanga weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 3rd-warmest and 8th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 9%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18812
28812
38812
48911
58911
68911
78911
88911
98812
108911
118911
128911
138911
148911
158911
169010
179010
18919
19919
20919
21928
22928
23928
24928
25928
26937
27937
28946
29946
30946
31946

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mahajanga gets around 6 mm of rain over 1.1 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 4% and peaks near 10% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
110
29
39
48
58
67
76
86
96
105
115
124
134
144
153
163
173
182
192
202
212
222
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

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 53% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 83% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
10237574
20238573
30340543
40441523
50442522
60544492
70645472
80746452
90848432
100949402
1101051381
1201153351
1301254331
1411355301
1511456281
1611557261
1711757241
1811858221
1921958201
2022059190
2122160170
2222161160
2332260150
2432360140
2532460130
2632559130
2742559120
2842659110
2952856110
3052956100
315305690

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:09 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 5:35 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:095:35
211.46:095:35
311.46:095:34
411.46:095:34
511.46:105:33
611.46:105:33
711.46:105:32
811.46:105:32
911.36:115:32
1011.36:115:31
1111.36:115:31
1211.36:125:30
1311.36:125:30
1411.36:125:30
1511.36:135:29
1611.36:135:29
1711.36:135:29
1811.36:145:29
1911.26:145:28
2011.26:145:28
2111.26:145:28
2211.26:155:28
2311.26:155:27
2411.26:155:27
2511.26:165:27
2611.26:165:27
2711.26:165:27
2811.26:175:27
2911.26:175:27
3011.16:185:26
3111.16:185:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.31 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 — May's 5.31 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mahajanga

In seasonPeak

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

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 May a good time to visit Mahajanga?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
8.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mahajanga in May

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

In May, Mahajanga sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Mahajanga in May

The nearest coast averages about 28°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 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 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 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
May 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).