Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Cargados Carajos Mauritius

In Cargados Carajos, the wet season is windy and mostly cloudy, the dry season is extremely windy and mostly clear, and it is warm and oppressive year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 73°F to 82°F and is rarely below 72°F or above 84°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Cargados Carajos for hot-weather activities is from late April to late November.

The temperature in Cargados Carajos varies so little throughout the year that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss hot and cold seasons.

In Cargados Carajos, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Cargados Carajos begins around April 24 and lasts for 7.1 months, ending around November 28.

The clearest month of the year in Cargados Carajos is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 81% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 28 and lasts for 4.9 months, ending around April 24.

The cloudiest month of the year in Cargados Carajos is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 66% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Cargados Carajos varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 4.0 months, from December 24 to April 23, with a greater than 20% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Cargados Carajos is February, with an average of 10.9 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 8.0 months, from April 23 to December 24. The month with the fewest wet days in Cargados Carajos is August, with an average of 0.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Cargados Carajos is February, with an average of 10.9 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 39% on February 9.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Cargados Carajos experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 6.0 months, from November 20 to May 21, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Cargados Carajos is February, with an average rainfall of 5.6 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 6.0 months, from May 21 to November 20. The month with the least rain in Cargados Carajos is September, with an average rainfall of 0.1 inches.

The length of the day in Cargados Carajos varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is June 21, with 11 hours, 8 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 13 hours, 7 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:18 AM on November 23, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 12 minutes later at 6:30 AM on July 8. The earliest sunset is at 5:35 PM on June 3, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 6 minutes later at 6:41 PM on January 20.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Cargados Carajos during 2024.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Cargados Carajos experiences significant seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 10 months, from September 14 to July 15, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 77% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Cargados Carajos is January, with 31.0 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Cargados Carajos is August, with 21.8 days that are muggy or worse.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Cargados Carajos experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.7 months, from May 5 to October 27, with average wind speeds of more than 16.6 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Cargados Carajos is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 20.1 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.3 months, from October 27 to May 5. The calmest month of the year in Cargados Carajos is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 13.0 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Cargados Carajos is from the east throughout the year.

Cargados Carajos is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 4.0 months, from January 3 to May 1, with an average temperature above 81°F. The month of the year in Cargados Carajos with the warmest water is March, with an average temperature of 83°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.6 months, from July 1 to October 21, with an average temperature below 77°F. The month of the year in Cargados Carajos with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 75°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Cargados Carajos throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Cargados Carajos for general outdoor tourist activities is from late May to late October, with a peak score in the last week of August.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Cargados Carajos for hot-weather activities is from late April to late November, with a peak score in the first week of June.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Temperatures in Cargados Carajos are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.8 months, from October 11 to January 5, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.9 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Cargados Carajos is November, with an average of 7.4 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from May 1 to August 4, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.2 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Cargados Carajos is June, with an average of 4.6 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Cargados Carajos are -16.603 deg latitude, 59.659 deg longitude, and 0 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Cargados Carajos is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 30 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 0 feet. Within 10 miles is also essentially flat (52 feet). Within 50 miles is also essentially flat (82 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Cargados Carajos is covered by water (100%), within 10 miles by water (100%), and within 50 miles by water (100%).