Climate and Average Weather Year Round at Majunga Madagascar

At Majunga, the wet season is oppressive and overcast; the dry season is muggy, windy, and mostly clear; and it is hot year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 66°F to 91°F and is rarely below 63°F or above 94°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Majunga for hot-weather activities is from mid May to mid October.

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

At Majunga, 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 at Majunga begins around April 6 and lasts for 7.5 months, ending around November 20.

The clearest month of the year at Majunga is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 90% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 20 and lasts for 4.5 months, ending around April 6.

The cloudiest month of the year at Majunga is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 84% 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 at Majunga varies very significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 4.0 months, from November 26 to March 28, with a greater than 44% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at Majunga is January, with an average of 25.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 8.0 months, from March 28 to November 26. The month with the fewest wet days at Majunga is September, with an average of 1.3 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 at Majunga is January, with an average of 25.5 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 85% on January 23.

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. Majunga experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 7.2 months, from October 5 to May 12, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain at Majunga is January, with an average rainfall of 14.5 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 4.8 months, from May 12 to October 5. The month with the least rain at Majunga is August, with an average rainfall of 0.3 inches.

The length of the day at Majunga varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is June 20, with 11 hours, 12 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 13 hours, 4 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:13 AM on November 22, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 9 minutes later at 6:22 AM on July 9. The earliest sunset is at 5:30 PM on June 2, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 3 minutes later at 6:32 PM on January 21.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed at Majunga 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.

Majunga experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 9.1 months, from September 7 to June 11, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 43% of the time. The month with the most muggy days at Majunga is January, with 30.9 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days at Majunga is July, with 7.6 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 at Majunga experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.1 months, from May 21 to October 25, with average wind speeds of more than 9.3 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at Majunga is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 11.4 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.9 months, from October 25 to May 21. The calmest month of the year at Majunga is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.3 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction at Majunga varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the east for 8.4 months, from March 7 to November 19, with a peak percentage of 79% on August 14. The wind is most often from the west for 3.6 months, from November 19 to March 7, with a peak percentage of 41% on January 1.

Majunga 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 5.3 months, from November 30 to May 7, with an average temperature above 84°F. The month of the year at Majunga with the warmest water is March, with an average temperature of 85°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.0 months, from June 27 to September 27, with an average temperature below 79°F. The month of the year at Majunga with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 78°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is at Majunga 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 Majunga for general outdoor tourist activities is from early June to mid September, with a peak score in the second week of July.

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 Majunga for hot-weather activities is from mid May to mid October, with a peak score in the last week of August.

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 at Majunga 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 2.1 months, from September 13 to November 15, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.9 kWh. The brightest month of the year at Majunga is October, with an average of 7.4 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from December 24 to March 19, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.5 kWh. The darkest month of the year at Majunga is February, with an average of 5.2 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Majunga are -15.667 deg latitude, 46.352 deg longitude, and 66 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Majunga contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 259 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 69 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (322 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (958 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Majunga is covered by grassland (86%), within 10 miles by water (52%) and grassland (40%), and within 50 miles by water (49%) and grassland (36%).