Weather Locations in Maldives

Maldives Weather Overview

The climate of the Maldives is tropical. This means warm temperatures throughout the year with little fluctuation and two distinct seasons dictated by the monsoons. May to October is the wet season when the southwest monsoon prevails, and November to April is the dry season when the northeast monsoon dictates proceedings. Sunshine is abundant in the Maldives with the region seeing more than 2700 sunshine hours a year on average – that works out at more than 7 hours a day.

The weather is pretty similar across the region, although the southern islands do receive more rainfall than those in the north. There is also little regional variation in temperature and being close to the equator it fluctuates very little across the year. Generally temperatures average highs just over 30°C and lows around 25°C across the year. The southern islands, such as Gan, see very slightly higher temperatures than the north, such as Raa, but the difference is no more than one degree so it’s barely noticeable. The central islands, such as the capital Male, are somewhere in between the two.

The highest recorded temperature is 37°C and the lowest is 17°C. Basically, it’s always warm in the Maldives. It never gets cold, nor do you see the very high temperatures that occur in nearby India.

March to May sees the hottest average temperature: it creeps above 29°C. November and December have the lowest average as it drops just below 28°C. While this change is very slight, humidity affects your perception of heat and so the driest months from January till March are definitely the coolest, most pleasant months.

Seasonal change is ruled by rainfall, and as the islands covers a large range of latitudes, the difference in annual rainfall can be quite marked, varying by more than 500mm from place to place.

DRY SEASON

From November to March the northeast monsoon visits the islands. This results in the very slightly cooler temperatures but more importantly it means dry, clear and settled weather across the region. When the rains recede and the dry weather begins is never exact but it tends to decrease rapidly from November. November can still see a little rainfall as the monsoons shift but it quickly becomes much drier.

Rain does occur in the dry season but it is infrequent and you can normally expect excellent sunny weather. This is obviously the most popular time for tourists as the weather is near perfect. The absence of storms and winds also means that the seas are much calmer and therefore clearer and much better for scuba diving trips.

With temperatures around 29°C and more than 250 hours of sunshine per month, it really is a fantastic time to holiday in the Maldives. The much lower humidity at this time of year also adds to the excellent weather.

THE WET SEASON

The southwest monsoon usually arrives in May and retreats in October. This period sees heavy rains as well as very hot and humid weather. The wettest period is usually June to August when it can get very windy and rainy.

The south of the island chain receives the most rainfall during this period due to the southwest direction of the monsoon winds. The southern islands, such as Seenu and Laamu, average about 2300mm of rainfall annually and most of this falls in the wet season. The northern islands, such as Baa and Shaviyani see a little less, averaging about 1800mm a year. In the more central islands, such as Meemu and Faafu, it’s somewhere in the middle with around a 2000mm annual average.

Although the south sees a greater volume of rain, there are more violent storms in the north. This is due to its closer proximity to the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Sea where cyclones can form. The Maldives are too south to be directly troubled by cyclones but the northern islands can feel the effects of them in terms of ferocious winds and rains. The strongest storms are most likely at the start of the wet season around May when the monsoons are shifting.

The heaviness of the rains during the wet season varies a lot year to year. Occasionally, heavy storms may bring a whole month’s average rainfall in 24 hours. If you do visit in rainy season you should expect some heavy downpours, especially in the afternoon and evening. Because the rains typically fall in short tropical downpours there is still lots of sunshine. Rain may fall every day of your visit, but you can still enjoy plenty of sunshine – the wettest months see almost 200 hours of sunshine on average and that’s nearly 7 hours a day.

Many people in fact choose to take their holiday in the ‘off’ season, taking advantage of the cheaper prices and fewer tourists. If you want your sunny blue skies guaranteed every day then it’s probably not the time for you, but if you don’t mind risking some torrential downpours then you can still benefit from some great weather. Remember though that the increased humidity does make it feel a good deal hotter. Furthermore, stormy weather can hamper travel between the islands and choppy seas are not ideal for scuba diving.

OTHER INFORMATION

The Maldives is a group of islands clustered in the Indian Ocean. They are located to the southwest of India, just south of the Lakshadweep Islands and around 700kms west of Sri Lanka. There are more than 1000 islands that make up the Maldives but just 200 are inhabited and with around 350,000 inhabitants it is the least populated country in Asia.

The stunning natural beauty of these tropical islands combined with their great climate has quite rightly made the Maldives a popular tourist destination. The Maldives are also a very popular destination for scuba diving enthusiasts. The waters are calm and crystal clear and bustling with marine life. The islands are mainly coral atolls and sand bars so the opportunities for great diving are endless.

back to top