What is the weather like in Madagascar in 2026?

Antananarivo and the Central Highlands sit near 1,200–1,500 m, so evenings cool fast even when coastal Nosy Be still feels sticky. Dry season (roughly May to October) brings sunny days, dusty trade winds, and July mornings that often need a fleece when highs hover near the low twenties Celsius and nights drop toward the low teens: Living in Antananarivo. Wet season (roughly November to April) packs most of Tana's roughly 1,100–1,400 mm of annual rain into thunderstorm afternoons that flood side streets and slow unpaved exits toward Andasibe.

Antsirabe, a touch higher than Tana, runs cooler still and suits movers who want highland pacing without beach heat: Where to live in Madagascar. Weekend rainforest trips east of Tana stay wetter than the capital ridge even in the same week. Social calendars shift earlier on cool dry evenings and later when wet-season storms clear: Social life in Madagascar.

East-coast belts (Toamasina, Masoala side) catch southeast trade winds first: hot, humid, and rainy, with destructive cyclone risk mainly from December to March. Northwest beach hubs such as Nosy Be and Diego Suarez stay warm year-round, with a clearer dry stretch roughly May to October and heavy monsoon-style rains in the wet months. The southwest and far south trend arid and hot, with cold-current dryness that feels nothing like Ivandry winter mornings.

Housing choice matters as much as the forecast. Highland flats need ventilation for wet-season humidity plus a warm layer for dry-season nights; coastal rentals need mould awareness and storm shutters more than fleece drawers. Wet-season mud and flooded taxi routes rewrite commute buffers; dry-season dust and JIRAMA stress still shape remote-work weeks. Regional comfort shortlist: Best climate in Madagascar. Budget generator fuel and transport bumps when storms cut power or roads: Monthly budget.