Male weather in January

In January, Male sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 79 mm of rain across 10.2 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-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 39% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Male's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Male's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
10th warmest
Overnight low
26°
5th coldest
Rainfall
79 mm
10.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:22 AM – 6:09 PM
Cloud cover
54%
3rd clearest
Wind
20 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Male is capital of the Maldives.

Air quality
Good
PM10 20 µg/m³ · 2011
Density
17,878/km²
people per km²
Founded
~500 CE

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical January day in Male reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

24°26°28°30°32°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12726
22726
32726
42726
52726
62726
72726
82726
92726
102726
112726
122726
132726
142726
152726
162726
172726
182726
192726
202726
212726
222726
232726
242726
252726
262726
272726
282826
292826
302826
312826

How January really feels in Male

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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

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

Male weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 26°7910.211.86.5
Feb28° / 27°366.511.96.9
Mar28° / 27°488.3126.3
Apr29° / 27°11015.912.14.9
May29° / 27°22723.912.23.8
Jun28° / 27°12517.612.24.5
Jul28° / 27°14017.612.24.6
Aug28° / 26°14115.812.15.2
Sep28° / 26°17618.7124.9
Oct28° / 26°19220.811.94.8
Nov27° / 26°22120.811.84.7
Dec27° / 26°20518.211.85.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25842
35941
45941
56040
65941
75941
85941
96040
106040
116040
125941
135941
145941
155941
165842
175743
185743
195644
205644
215644
225644
235644
245743
255842
265842
275941
286040
296040
306139
316139

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Male gets around 79 mm of rain over 10.2 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 33% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
241
341
440
540
640
740
840
939
1039
1139
1238
1338
1437
1536
1635
1734
1833
1932
2031
2129
2228
2327
2426
2525
2625
2724
2824
2924
3024
3125

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 85% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
110828
210828
39838
49847
58857
68857
77867
87876
96886
106886
115896
125905
136895
146895
156886
167876
178866
188866
199856
2010846
2110846
2211836
2312826
2412817
2512817
2613807
2713807
2813816
2913816
3013816
3112826

Wind in January

Winds average 20 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
420light breeze
520light breeze
620light breeze
720light breeze
820light breeze
920light breeze
1020light breeze
1120light breeze
1220breezy
1320breezy
1420breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720breezy
1820breezy
1920breezy
2020breezy
2120breezy
2220breezy
2320breezy
2420breezy
2520breezy
2620breezy
2720breezy
2820breezy
2920breezy
3020breezy
3120breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:16 AM to 6:25 AM, and sunset from 6:02 PM to 6:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:166:02
211.86:176:02
311.86:176:03
411.86:186:03
511.86:186:04
611.86:186:04
711.86:196:05
811.86:196:05
911.86:196:06
1011.86:206:06
1111.86:206:07
1211.86:216:07
1311.86:216:07
1411.86:216:08
1511.86:216:08
1611.86:226:09
1711.86:226:09
1811.86:226:10
1911.86:236:10
2011.86:236:10
2111.86:236:11
2211.86:236:11
2311.86:246:11
2411.86:246:12
2511.86:246:12
2611.86:246:12
2711.86:246:13
2811.86:246:13
2911.86:256:13
3011.86:256:14
3111.86:256:14

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.79 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.14 kWh/m² to a high of 6.6 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.79 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Male

In seasonPeak

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

Male sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

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

Is January a good time to visit Male?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Male in January

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

In January, Male sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Male in January

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 14 km away) is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in January near 28°C.

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

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Tropical
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Male in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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 Male peaks around September 19 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 13 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeSep 19UV 14Jan 13UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Male in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Male is worst in January — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (November, 10 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodJan 2216 µg/m³Nov 1310 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr12Good
May15Moderate
Jun12Moderate
Jul11Good
Aug11Good
Sep12Good
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Male?

Male sits at 4.2°N, 73.5°E, 8 m above sea level, in Maldives. The nearest listed city is Kulhudhuffushi, 276 km away.

Topography around Male

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Male has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 13 m around an average of 0 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 13 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 12 m.

The land around Male is covered by water (89%) within 3 km, water (99%) within 16 km, and water (100%) within 80 km.

3 km
13 m
16 km
13 m
80 km
12 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Kulhudhuffushi 276 km · Fuvahmulah 498 km · Alappuzha 668 km · Kochi 709 km · Ambalangoda 760 km · Bentota 761 km · Beruwala 761 km · Thaikattussery 761 km

Maldives travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / J / K / L
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 51% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$14,615
2025
Happiness
5.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2020
Homicide rate
0.6
per 100k, 2019
Road deaths
1.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank

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 Male (4.1752°, 73.5092°, elevation 8 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).