Madagascar Climate
Top 5 Cities: Antananarivo, Toamasina, Antsirabe, Fianarantsoa, and Mahajanga
This month in numbers
Madagascar experienced its warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 24.8°C, an anomaly of +2°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This marks the 1st warmest April in 86 years of records. The period of February to April 2026 also ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, with an average temperature of 24.76°C, an anomaly of +1.4°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperatures, with the February–April period also ranking as the 2nd warmest globally.
What changed
Madagascar has been experiencing a significant warming trend, with the latest full-year average temperature in 2025 being the warmest on record at 23.41°C. This continues a long-term trend of +1.07°C versus the 1961–1990 baseline. The country has also been grappling with a severe drought in its southern region, which has persisted since late December of last year. This drought has led to abnormal dryness across the country.
What’s driving change?
The persistent drought in southern Madagascar, which has been ongoing since late 2025, is a significant factor. This drought has been exacerbated by cumulative rainfall deficits and atypically high temperatures since January 2026, leading to one of the driest seasons on record in the Grand South. These dry conditions have severely impacted short-cycle crops and contributed to below-average agricultural production and livelihood losses. Additionally, Madagascar was hit by two major tropical cyclones, Fytia and Gezani, in late January and February 2026, respectively. These cyclones caused widespread flooding, displacement, and significant damage to infrastructure and agriculture across multiple regions. The ongoing drought is one of a cluster of 1 drought event logged for Madagascar over the past 12 months, representing 100% of that annual total, an unusual concentration. More information on active extreme weather events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts predict that additional weather systems could reach Madagascar through April or May, underscoring the need for continued preparedness.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Madagascar
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Madagascar changing?
Madagascar is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Madagascar come from?
Climate data for Madagascar comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Madagascar climate data cover?
The Madagascar climate profile covers Antananarivo, Toamasina, Antsirabe, Fianarantsoa and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Madagascar
How often is the Madagascar climate update refreshed?
The Madagascar climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.