Sambava weather in May

In May, Sambava sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 120 mm of rain across 20.7 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sambava's 3rd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sambava's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
7th warmest
Overnight low
24°
6th coldest
Rainfall
120 mm
20.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
5:55 AM – 5:16 PM
Cloud cover
42%
3rd clearest
Wind
21 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical May day in Sambava reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12724
22724
32724
42724
52724
62724
72724
82724
92724
102724
112724
122724
132724
142724
152724
162724
172724
182624
192624
202623
212623
222623
232623
242623
252623
262623
272623
282623
292623
302623
312623

How May really feels in Sambava

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Sambava weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 8th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% 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 21%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27624
37624
47723
57822
67822
77822
87921
97921
107822
117822
127921
137921
147822
157822
167822
177921
187921
197921
207921
217921
227921
238020
248020
258020
268020
278020
288020
298020
308020
318020

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sambava gets around 120 mm of rain over 20.7 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 67% and peaks near 69% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
168
268
368
468
568
668
768
868
968
1068
1169
1269
1369
1469
1568
1668
1768
1867
1967
2066
2166
2266
2366
2466
2566
2666
2766
2866
2966
3066
3166

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 66% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1012862
2013852
3014851
4015841
5016831
6017821
7017821
8019801
9020791
10021781
11023761
12024751
13126721
14128701
15130681
16131671
17133660
18135640
19137620
20139600
21241570
22242560
23244540
24246520
25247510
26249490
27350470
28352450
29353440
30355420
31456400

Wind in May

Winds average 21 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120breezy
220breezy
320breezy
420breezy
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
920breezy
1020breezy
1120breezy
1220breezy
1320breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 12 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 5:52 AM to 6:00 AM, and sunset from 5:21 PM to 5:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:525:21
211.55:525:21
311.55:525:21
411.55:525:20
511.55:525:20
611.45:535:19
711.45:535:19
811.45:535:18
911.45:535:18
1011.45:545:18
1111.45:545:17
1211.45:545:17
1311.45:555:17
1411.45:555:16
1511.45:555:16
1611.35:555:16
1711.35:565:16
1811.35:565:15
1911.35:565:15
2011.35:575:15
2111.35:575:15
2211.35:575:14
2311.35:575:14
2411.35:585:14
2511.35:585:14
2611.35:585:14
2711.35:595:14
2811.25:595:14
2911.25:595:14
3011.26:005:14
3111.26:005:13

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.34 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 — May's 4.34 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.1Bright
274.1Bright
284.1Bright
294.1Bright
304.0Bright
314.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Sambava

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

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

Is May a good time to visit Sambava?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sambava for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sambava in May

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

In May, Sambava sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and a windbreaker. About 21 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothesa windbreaker

Sea temperature near Sambava in May

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (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
May 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).