Male in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Male sees average daytime highs around 27°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 319 mm of rain over about 35 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Winter is Male's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Male 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 Male's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 27°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 26°C
- Rainfall
- 319 mm
- 35 wet days
- Avg wind
- 18 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.2
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Male in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C.
A typical winter day in Male reaches about 27°C and drops to 26°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How winter really feels in Male
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter 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 the three winter 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 | 27° / 26° | 79 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 28° / 27° | 36 | 6.5 | 11.9 | 6.9 |
| Mar | 28° / 27° | 48 | 8.3 | 12 | 6.3 |
| Apr | 29° / 27° | 110 | 15.9 | 12.1 | 4.9 |
| May | 29° / 27° | 227 | 23.9 | 12.2 | 3.8 |
| Jun | 28° / 27° | 125 | 17.6 | 12.2 | 4.5 |
| Jul | 28° / 27° | 140 | 17.6 | 12.2 | 4.6 |
| Aug | 28° / 26° | 141 | 15.8 | 12.1 | 5.2 |
| Sep | 28° / 26° | 176 | 18.7 | 12 | 4.9 |
| Oct | 28° / 26° | 192 | 20.8 | 11.9 | 4.8 |
| Nov | 27° / 26° | 221 | 20.8 | 11.8 | 4.7 |
| Dec | 27° / 26° | 205 | 18.2 | 11.8 | 5.2 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Male gets around 319 mm of rain over 35 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 18 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.8 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Male
In winter, Male overlaps its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Male sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.
Is winter a good time to visit Male?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter 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 Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Male sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 35 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Male in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 28°C across winter — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| Comfort | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | Tropical |
| Feb | 28 | Tropical |
| Mar | 29 | Tropical |
| Apr | 30 | Tropical |
| May | 30 | Tropical |
| Jun | 29 | Tropical |
| Jul | 29 | Tropical |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 29 | Tropical |
| Dec | 28 | Tropical |
UV index in Male in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 12 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 10 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 |
| Level | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Very high |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 13 | Extreme |
| May | 13 | Extreme |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 14 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
Air quality in Male in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 16 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Moderate |
| Feb | 16 | Moderate |
| Mar | 14 | Moderate |
| Apr | 12 | Good |
| May | 15 | Moderate |
| Jun | 12 | Moderate |
| Jul | 11 | Good |
| Aug | 11 | Good |
| Sep | 12 | Good |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 10 | Good |
| Dec | 11 | Good |
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.
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.