Climate and average weather in Sainte-Marie
In Sainte-Marie, the weather is humid, warm, wet, and partly cloudy and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near warm levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around January.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Sainte-Marie typically varies from 16°C to 26°C, and is rarely below 15°C or above 27°C. February is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Sainte-Marie for warm-weather activities is from early April to mid December.
- Hottest
- Feb
- 26°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 16°
- Wettest
- Jan
- 251 mm
- Driest
- Aug
- 34 mm
- Rain / yr
- 1280 mm
- 187 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.7–13.3 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 9 m
- 20.9°S
- Clearest
- Jul
- 41% cloud
Sainte-Marie weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early April to mid December.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Sainte-Marie, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Sainte-Marie stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is February, with an average high of 26°C and low of 22°C; the coolest is July, with an average low of 16°C and high of 21°C.
Days typically run about 4°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| Avg low (°C) | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 21 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 22 |
| Feb | 26 | 22 |
| Mar | 26 | 22 |
| Apr | 25 | 21 |
| May | 23 | 19 |
| Jun | 21 | 17 |
| Jul | 21 | 16 |
| Aug | 21 | 16 |
| Sep | 21 | 17 |
| Oct | 23 | 18 |
| Nov | 24 | 19 |
| Dec | 25 | 21 |
Average hourly temperature in Sainte-Marie
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on February afternoons, near 26°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 16°C.
Sainte-Marie weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26° / 22° | 251 | 21.7 | 13.1 | 4.9 |
| Feb | 26° / 22° | 244 | 21.9 | 12.7 | 4.5 |
| Mar | 26° / 22° | 219 | 22 | 12.1 | 5.0 |
| Apr | 25° / 21° | 78 | 16.7 | 11.5 | 5.8 |
| May | 23° / 19° | 74 | 16 | 11 | 6.2 |
| Jun | 21° / 17° | 40 | 11 | 10.8 | 6.6 |
| Jul | 21° / 16° | 36 | 11.9 | 10.9 | 6.5 |
| Aug | 21° / 16° | 34 | 10 | 11.3 | 6.8 |
| Sep | 21° / 17° | 36 | 10.1 | 11.9 | 6.8 |
| Oct | 23° / 18° | 47 | 11 | 12.5 | 6.7 |
| Nov | 24° / 19° | 84 | 15.4 | 13 | 6.1 |
| Dec | 25° / 21° | 138 | 18.9 | 13.2 | 5.4 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Sainte-Marie gets about 1280 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 6.0 months, from around Nov 17 to May 18, peaking in February at about 79% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Aug 12.
January is the wettest month by volume, with 251 mm over about 22 wet days; August is the driest, with 34 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 70 | 77 | 70 | 57 | 50 | 38 | 38 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 50 | 62 |
| Rain days | 22 | 22 | 22 | 17 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 19 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70 | 22 |
| Feb | 77 | 22 |
| Mar | 70 | 22 |
| Apr | 57 | 17 |
| May | 50 | 16 |
| Jun | 38 | 11 |
| Jul | 38 | 12 |
| Aug | 32 | 10 |
| Sep | 34 | 10 |
| Oct | 36 | 11 |
| Nov | 50 | 15 |
| Dec | 62 | 19 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Sainte-Marie collects about 1280 mm of rain across 187 wet days — roughly 107 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 251 mm, while August is the driest at just 34 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 56% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 251 | 244 | 219 | 78 | 74 | 40 | 36 | 34 | 36 | 47 | 84 | 138 |
| Rain days | 22 | 22 | 22 | 17 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 19 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 251 | 22 |
| Feb | 244 | 22 |
| Mar | 219 | 22 |
| Apr | 78 | 17 |
| May | 74 | 16 |
| Jun | 40 | 11 |
| Jul | 36 | 12 |
| Aug | 34 | 10 |
| Sep | 36 | 10 |
| Oct | 47 | 11 |
| Nov | 84 | 15 |
| Dec | 138 | 19 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Sainte-Marie, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around April 16 and lasts for 5.9 months, ending around October 13. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 84% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around October 14 and lasts for 6.0 months, ending around April 15. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 64% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 36 | 38 | 45 | 61 | 72 | 83 | 84 | 80 | 71 | 59 | 48 | 40 |
| Cloudier (%) | 64 | 62 | 55 | 39 | 28 | 17 | 16 | 20 | 29 | 41 | 52 | 60 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 64 |
| Feb | 38 | 62 |
| Mar | 45 | 55 |
| Apr | 61 | 39 |
| May | 72 | 28 |
| Jun | 83 | 17 |
| Jul | 84 | 16 |
| Aug | 80 | 20 |
| Sep | 71 | 29 |
| Oct | 59 | 41 |
| Nov | 48 | 52 |
| Dec | 40 | 60 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around December 13, brings about 13 h 18 min of light; the shortest, around June 13, only 10 h 42 min — a swing of roughly 2 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 13.1 | 12.7 | 12.1 | 11.5 | 11.0 | 10.8 | 10.9 | 11.3 | 11.9 | 12.5 | 13.0 | 13.2 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:53 | 6:11 | 6:23 | 6:32 | 6:44 | 6:56 | 6:58 | 6:44 | 6:16 | 5:48 | 5:33 | 5:36 |
| Sunset (PM) | 7:01 | 6:54 | 6:32 | 6:04 | 5:44 | 5:40 | 5:49 | 6:00 | 6:09 | 6:17 | 6:33 | 6:52 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13.1 | 5:53 | 7:01 |
| Feb | 12.7 | 6:11 | 6:54 |
| Mar | 12.1 | 6:23 | 6:32 |
| Apr | 11.5 | 6:32 | 6:04 |
| May | 11.0 | 6:44 | 5:44 |
| Jun | 10.8 | 6:56 | 5:40 |
| Jul | 10.9 | 6:58 | 5:49 |
| Aug | 11.3 | 6:44 | 6:00 |
| Sep | 11.9 | 6:16 | 6:09 |
| Oct | 12.5 | 5:48 | 6:17 |
| Nov | 13.0 | 5:33 | 6:33 |
| Dec | 13.2 | 5:36 | 6:52 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Sainte-Marie averages about 10 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 4 and 17 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.6 months, from around Apr 28 to Oct 15. The sunniest month is August, with roughly 16 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is February, down near 5 sunny days — about 71% fewer than the August peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 5 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 4 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 6 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 9 | Mixed |
| May | 13 | Mixed |
| Jun | 16 | Bright |
| Jul | 17 | Bright |
| Aug | 16 | Bright |
| Sep | 13 | Mixed |
| Oct | 10 | Mixed |
| Nov | 7 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 5 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Sainte-Marie, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 7.0 months, from around October 31 to June 1. The muggiest month is January, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 100% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around June 2 to October 30, and August is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 86% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 21 | 25 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 48 | 61 | 62 | 65 | 45 | 15 | 2 |
| Humid (%) | 11 | 4 | 8 | 23 | 55 | 39 | 18 | 14 | 20 | 44 | 56 | 30 |
| Muggy (%) | 59 | 57 | 67 | 70 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 28 | 61 |
| Oppressive (%) | 30 | 39 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 | 11 | 59 | 30 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 | 4 | 57 | 39 |
| Mar | 0 | 0 | 8 | 67 | 25 |
| Apr | 0 | 2 | 23 | 70 | 6 |
| May | 1 | 17 | 55 | 26 | 1 |
| Jun | 9 | 48 | 39 | 3 | 0 |
| Jul | 21 | 61 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 25 | 62 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 15 | 65 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 5 | 45 | 44 | 6 | 0 |
| Nov | 1 | 15 | 56 | 28 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 2 | 30 | 61 | 7 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Sainte-Marie is steady company: average speeds sit near 8 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | calm |
| Feb | 8 | calm |
| Mar | 8 | calm |
| Apr | 8 | calm |
| May | 8 | calm |
| Jun | 8 | calm |
| Jul | 9 | calm |
| Aug | 9 | calm |
| Sep | 8 | calm |
| Oct | 8 | calm |
| Nov | 8 | calm |
| Dec | 8 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Sainte-Marie
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Sainte-Marie sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.
Sainte-Marie's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Sainte-Marie
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Sainte-Marie throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid April, Sainte-Marie is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Sainte-Marie for general outdoor tourist activities is from early April to mid December, with a peak score in the first week of October.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 4.9 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 5.8 | 6.2 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 6.7 | 6.1 | 5.4 |
| Rating | fair | fair | fair | good | good | good | good | good | good | good | good | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.9 | fair |
| Feb | 4.6 | fair |
| Mar | 5.0 | fair |
| Apr | 5.8 | good |
| May | 6.2 | good |
| Jun | 6.6 | good |
| Jul | 6.5 | good |
| Aug | 6.8 | good |
| Sep | 6.8 | good |
| Oct | 6.7 | good |
| Nov | 6.1 | good |
| Dec | 5.4 | fair |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Sainte-Marie for hot-weather activities is from early September to mid June, with a peak score in the last week of April.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Sainte-Marie, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
Sainte-Marie packs about the same all year — highs hold near 26°C. Across the year the things worth having are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection.
In February, Sainte-Marie sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 22°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 22 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Sainte-Marie
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea offshore is warmest in February at about 28°C and coldest in August near 23°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 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 27 |
| Comfort | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | Warm |
| Feb | 28 | Tropical |
| Mar | 28 | Tropical |
| Apr | 27 | Warm |
| May | 27 | Warm |
| Jun | 25 | Warm |
| Jul | 24 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 23 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 24 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 24 | Warm |
| Nov | 25 | Warm |
| Dec | 27 | Warm |
UV index (midday) in Sainte-Marie by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sainte-Marie peaks around January 18 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 6 (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) | 16 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 10 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 6 | High |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 10 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Sainte-Marie
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in January the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9 | 8.5 | 8 | 7 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 7.5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3.5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 7.5 |
| Feb | 8.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 8 | 6 |
| Apr | 7 | 5 |
| May | 6.5 | 3.5 |
| Jun | 5.5 | 2 |
| Jul | 5.5 | 2 |
| Aug | 6.5 | 4 |
| Sep | 7.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 8 | 6 |
| Nov | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 9 | 7 |
Growing season
Sainte-Marie is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Sainte-Marie banks about 4,098 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 428 | 390 | 422 | 383 | 340 | 278 | 260 | 262 | 272 | 317 | 345 | 401 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 428 |
| Feb | 390 |
| Mar | 422 |
| Apr | 383 |
| May | 340 |
| Jun | 278 |
| Jul | 260 |
| Aug | 262 |
| Sep | 272 |
| Oct | 317 |
| Nov | 345 |
| Dec | 401 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Sainte-Marie receives about 5.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.9 and 7.2 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.6 months, from around Sep 10 to Mar 28. The brightest month is December, averaging about 7.1 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 4.0 kWh/m² — roughly 44% less than the December peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 6.8 | 6.5 | 5.9 | 5.2 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 7.2 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.8 | Intense |
| Feb | 6.5 | Intense |
| Mar | 5.9 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.2 | Bright |
| May | 4.4 | Bright |
| Jun | 4.0 | Moderate |
| Jul | 4.1 | Bright |
| Aug | 4.9 | Bright |
| Sep | 5.9 | Bright |
| Oct | 6.7 | Intense |
| Nov | 7.2 | Intense |
| Dec | 7.2 | Intense |
Where is Sainte-Marie?
Sainte-Marie sits at 20.9°S, 55.6°E, 9 m above sea level, in Reunion. The nearest listed city is Sainte-Suzanne, 6.0 km away.
Topography around Sainte-Marie
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Sainte-Marie.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Sainte-Marie has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 m around an average of 55 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,258 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,030 m.
The land around Sainte-Marie is covered by water (41%), trees (23%) and cropland (21%) within 3 km, water (51%) and trees (37%) within 16 km, and water (79%) within 80 km.
Reunion travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type C / E
- 220 V · 50 Hz
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 Sainte-Marie (-20.8969°, 55.5506°, elevation 9 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).