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Climate - Maldives


Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine

Flag - Maldives

Map - Maldives

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Index


  • Introduction - Hanimaadhoo, Malé, Gan
  • Sea temperature
  • Cyclones

Introduction



The Maldives, islands of the Indian Ocean located to the southwest of India, have a tropical climate, hot all year round and influenced by the monsoons. The south-west monsoon, from late April to September, it's stronger on the northern islands, and it's accompanied by the wind, which can make the sea rough and therefore may discourage activities such as diving, and it's also accompanied by higher humidity and more frequent cloudiness. The northeast monsoon, from October to December, it's quieter and simply brings showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon or evening, especially in the southern atolls.
The driest period, outside the monsoons, runs from January to April and is felt more on the northern atolls.

The temperatures are stable. Relative humidity is high and stable throughout the year as well, around 80%. However, between March and May, there is a slight increase in temperature and in the feeling of sultriness as well, especially in the northern atolls; in fact, in this period, the maximum temperature rises to 32/33 °C (90/91 °F) and the minimum temperature to 26/27 °C (79/81 °F).
As is common in tropical areas, the rains mostly occur in the form of short and intense downpour or thunderstorm. Total annual rainfall is a bit more abundant in the southern atolls, where it hovers around 2,200/2,300 millimeters (87/91 inches) per year, and less abundant in the north, where it hovers around 1,700/1,800 mm (67/71 in) per year. The difference is mainly due to the fact that in the central and northern atolls there is a relatively dry season from January to mid-April, which is more pronounced in the northernmost atolls.
The sun in the Maldives shines for more than 2,700 hours a year. There is no season when the sun disappears, although there may be days, or periods of a few days, in which the sky is often cloudy, especially in the season of the southwest monsoon (late April-September).

Hanimaadhoo

Climate chart - Hanimaadhoo
In the northern atolls, the warming between March and May is more evident. Here are the average temperatures in the northernmost atoll, Hanimaadhoo, located at 7 degrees north latitude. Here, in April 2016 the temperature reached 35 °C (95 °F), which represents the heat record of all the Maldives.
Hanimaadhoo - Average temperatures (2012-2020)
MonthMin (°C)Max (°C)Mean (°C)Min (°F)Max (°F)Mean (°F)
January253127.9768882.2
February253228.4778983
March263229789084.1
April273330.2819286.3
May263229.2799084.6
June263228.7798983.7
July263228.7788983.6
August263128.4788883.2
September263128.4788883.2
October263128.5788883.3
November253228.3778982.9
December253128.1778882.6
Year25.631.728.678.28983.5

In the northern atolls, there is a fairly defined dry season between January and April, while the wettest period is from May to October. Here is the average rainfall in Hanimaadhoo.
Hanimaadhoo - Average precipitation
MonthMillimetersInchesDays
January451.83
February351.43
March401.63
April602.45
May2509.814
June2158.517
July2359.315
August2208.715
September1857.314
October2058.112
November1455.710
December1154.57
Year175068.9120

The sun in the northern atolls shines more often in the dry period, from January to April. Here are the average sunshine hours per day in Hanimaadhoo.
Hanimaadhoo - Sunshine hours
MonthAverageTotal
January9280
February9.5270
March9.5290
April8.5260
May6.5210
June5.5170
July6190
August6.5205
September7215
October7.5230
November6.5200
December7.5230
Year7.52750

Malé

Climate chart - Malé
In the central atolls, temperatures are more stable, however, here too there is some warming from March to May, when the temperature can reach 34 °C (93 °F) on the hottest days. Here are the average temperatures of the capital, Malé, situated at 4 degrees north latitude.
Malé - Average temperatures (1991-2020)
MonthMin (°C)Max (°C)Mean (°C)Min (°F)Max (°F)Mean (°F)
January263128.4798783
February263128.7808883.7
March273229.2808984.6
April273229.6819085.4
May263229808984.2
June273129808884.1
July263128.6798883.5
August263128.5798783.3
September263028.3798782.9
October263028.2788782.7
November263028.1788782.6
December263028.1788782.6
Year26.330.928.679.487.783.5

In Malé, rainfall amounts to about 1,900 mm (75 in) per year. Here, there is a rainy period which runs from May to December, while the least rainy months are February and March, when precipitation drops below 100 mm (4 in) per month.
Here is the average precipitation in Malé.
Malé - Average precipitation
MonthMillimetersInchesDays
January1154.56
February401.63
March7535
April1254.99
May2208.715
June1656.513
July1505.912
August1756.913
September2007.915
October1957.715
November2309.113
December2158.512
Year190074.8131

In Malé and the central atolls too, the amount of sunshine is good from January to April, and the sunniest months are February and March. In the rest of the year, and even in the least sunny months, the sun shines for a good number of hours, on average about 6 and a half per day. Here are the average sunshine hours per day in Malé.
Malé - Sunshine hours
MonthAverageTotal
January8250
February9260
March9280
April8245
May7225
June6.5200
July7.5225
August7210
September6.5200
October7.5235
November7.5225
December7220
Year7.62780

Gan

Climate chart - Gan
In Gan, on Addu Atoll (or Seenu), the southernmost island of the Maldives, temperatures are even more stable. Here are the average temperatures.
Gan - Average temperatures (1991-2020)
MonthMin (°C)Max (°C)Mean (°C)Min (°F)Max (°F)Mean (°F)
January253128.1788782.6
February263128.6798883.5
March263228.6788983.5
April263228.8798983.8
May263128.4788883.1
June263128.5788883.2
July253128.1778882.5
August253127.9778782.2
September253127.8778782
October253127.7778781.9
November253027.7778781.9
December253127.9778782.1
Year25.430.928.177.787.782.5

In Gan, there is no dry season, so the climate can be defined as equatorial (in fact, the atoll is located just south of the Equator). We are in the wettest area of the Maldives. Here is the average precipitation.
Gan - Average precipitation
MonthMillimetersInchesDays
January2359.312
February1104.39
March1706.79
April1606.311
May2309.114
June1505.99
July1857.311
August1957.712
September1957.714
October27510.816
November1756.914
December2359.315
Year231090.9146

In Gan and the southern atolls, the sunniest period is from February to April, as January is still a rainy month, while the sun shines a little less often from July to September.
Gan - Sunshine hours
MonthAverageTotal
January7.5240
February9250
March8.5265
April8.5250
May7.5230
June7.5220
July6.5205
August6.5210
September6.5195
October7215
November7.5225
December7.5230
Year7.52735

Maldives

Sea temperature



The sea in the Maldives is warm all year round, in fact, the water temperature ranges from 28 °C to 30 °C (82 to 86 °F). Here, for example, is the sea temperature in Malé.
Malé - Sea temperature
MonthCelsius (°C)Fahrenheit (°F)
January2883
February2883
March2985
April3086
May3086
June2985
July2984
August2984
September2984
October2984
November2984
December2883
Year2984.2

Tropical cyclones



The Maldives can be occasionally reached by tropical cyclones, which usually affect these islands in the early stages of their formation (as happened with a tropical depression in May 2016, which then became Cyclone Roanu and moved northwards), or they brush them as they pass further north over the Indian Ocean, as happened with Cyclone Ockhi, which struck more directly Sri Lanka and Southern India in early December 2017. However, being that they are flat islands with buildings at sea level, cyclones can bring some damage due to rainfall, wind, and anomalous waves.
Cyclones are formed more often between April and December, with two peaks in May and November, but given that the sea is always warm, they may occur throughout the year. The southernmost atolls (Huvadhu, Addu, Fuvahmulah) are affected in a more marginal way because they are located near the Equator.

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