Sambava weather in March

In March, Sambava sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 305 mm of rain across 25.3 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Sambava's 10th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sambava's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
25°
10th coldest
Rainfall
305 mm
25.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
5:46 AM – 5:52 PM
Cloud cover
66%
10th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical March day in Sambava reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12825
22825
32825
42825
52825
62825
72825
82825
92825
102825
112825
122825
132825
142825
152825
162825
172825
182825
192825
202825
212825
222825
232825
242825
252825
262825
272825
282825
292825
302825
312825

How March really feels in Sambava

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 10 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
10
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.

Sambava weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March 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
Jan28° / 25°26826.712.73.6
Feb28° / 25°26423.812.53.6
Mar28° / 25°30525.312.13.9
Apr28° / 25°19922.511.74.7
May27° / 24°12020.711.35.3
Jun25° / 22°12721.211.25.3
Jul24° / 21°13722.611.25.2
Aug24° / 21°10922.311.55.3
Sep25° / 21°8820.211.95.6
Oct26° / 23°892012.35.6
Nov27° / 24°8518.512.75.5
Dec28° / 25°17923.512.84.5

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23664
33664
43664
53664
63664
73664
83664
93664
103664
113664
123763
133763
143763
153862
163862
174060
184060
194060
204258
214258
224357
234456
244654
254654
264753
274951
285050
295149
305248
315347

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Sambava gets around 305 mm of rain over 25.3 wet days in March, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 82% and peaks near 85% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
184
285
385
485
585
685
785
885
985
1084
1184
1284
1383
1483
1582
1682
1781
1881
1980
2080
2180
2279
2379
2479
2579
2679
2779
2879
2979
3079
3179

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the oppressive band about 74% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
106733
206832
306832
406832
506931
606931
706931
807030
916930
1016930
1116930
1217029
1317029
1417128
1517128
1617227
1717227
1817326
1907525
2007525
2107624
2207723
2307822
2407921
2508020
2608119
2708218
2818217
2918316
3018415
3118514

Wind in March

Winds average 15 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

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 5:44 AM to 5:47 AM, and sunset from 6:02 PM to 5:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:446:02
212.35:446:01
312.35:446:00
412.35:446:00
512.25:445:59
612.25:455:59
712.25:455:58
812.25:455:57
912.25:455:57
1012.25:455:56
1112.25:455:55
1212.25:465:55
1312.15:465:54
1412.15:465:53
1512.15:465:53
1612.15:465:52
1712.15:465:51
1812.15:465:51
1912.15:465:50
2012.05:465:49
2112.05:475:48
2212.05:475:48
2312.05:475:47
2412.05:475:46
2512.05:475:46
2612.05:475:45
2711.95:475:44
2811.95:475:43
2911.95:475:43
3011.95:475:42
3111.95:475:41

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.33 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.8 kWh/m² to a high of 6.22 kWh/m² in November across the year — March's 5.33 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Sambava

In seasonPeak

In March, Sambava sits inside its cyclone and rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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

Sambava's rainy season runs December–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is March a good time to visit Sambava?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sambava.

What to pack for Sambava in March

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

In March, Sambava sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Sambava in March

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 25 km away) is warmest in February at about 29°C and coldest in August near 24°C.

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

22°24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr28Tropical
May27Warm
Jun26Warm
Jul25Warm
Aug24Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov27Warm
Dec28Warm

UV index in Sambava 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 Sambava peaks around January 23 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 23UV 15Jun 21UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Sambava?

Sambava sits at 14.3°S, 50.2°E, 10 m above sea level, in Madagascar. The nearest listed city is Ampahana, 54 km away.

Iharan̈aMaroantsetraBealananaAmbarakarakaAmbilobe

Topography around Sambava

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sambava has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 111 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 337 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,083 m.

The land around Sambava is covered by water (44%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, water (50%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and trees (45%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
111 m
16 km
337 m
80 km
2,083 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: Ampahana 54 km · Andapa 70 km · Antalaha 71 km · Iharan̈a 104 km · Maroantsetra 138 km · Bealanana 156 km · Ambarakaraka 164 km · Ambilobe 169 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 Sambava (-14.2667°, 50.1667°, elevation 10 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).