Sambava in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Sambava sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 710 mm of rain over about 74 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Summer is Sambava's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. Sambava has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Sambava's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 25°C
- Rainfall
- 710 mm
- 74 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.9
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Sambava in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C.
A typical summer day in Sambava reaches about 28°C and drops to 25°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How summer really feels in Sambava
Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 42 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in summer is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Sambava weather by month
How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28° / 25° | 268 | 26.7 | 12.7 | 3.6 |
| Feb | 28° / 25° | 264 | 23.8 | 12.5 | 3.6 |
| Mar | 28° / 25° | 305 | 25.3 | 12.1 | 3.9 |
| Apr | 28° / 25° | 199 | 22.5 | 11.7 | 4.7 |
| May | 27° / 24° | 120 | 20.7 | 11.3 | 5.3 |
| Jun | 25° / 22° | 127 | 21.2 | 11.2 | 5.3 |
| Jul | 24° / 21° | 137 | 22.6 | 11.2 | 5.2 |
| Aug | 24° / 21° | 109 | 22.3 | 11.5 | 5.3 |
| Sep | 25° / 21° | 88 | 20.2 | 11.9 | 5.6 |
| Oct | 26° / 23° | 89 | 20 | 12.3 | 5.6 |
| Nov | 27° / 24° | 85 | 18.5 | 12.7 | 5.5 |
| Dec | 28° / 25° | 179 | 23.5 | 12.8 | 4.5 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Sambava gets around 710 mm of rain over 74 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 12 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min in early December to 12 h 18 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 5.9 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Sambava
In summer, Sambava overlaps 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 July–July, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is summer a good time to visit Sambava?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sambava.
What to pack for Sambava in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Sambava sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 74 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Sambava in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 28°C across summer — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 28 |
| Comfort | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | Tropical |
| Feb | 29 | Tropical |
| Mar | 29 | Tropical |
| Apr | 28 | Tropical |
| May | 27 | Warm |
| Jun | 26 | Warm |
| Jul | 25 | Warm |
| Aug | 24 | Warm |
| Sep | 25 | Warm |
| Oct | 25 | Warm |
| Nov | 27 | Warm |
| Dec | 28 | Warm |
UV index in Sambava in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 15 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
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.
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.
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
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.