The Climate of the
Maldives
Beach of the Maldives
What is the climate of the Maldives like?
The Maldives extend in a long chain some 850 km (540 mi) from north to south in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean between 12°N and 6°S. There are over 1,000 islands, many of them merely low-lying coral reefs; only about 200 islands are inhabited. The chain of islands sits astride the equator, south of India and west of Sri Lanka.
The Maldives have a tropical climate with abundant rainfall and moderately high temperatures around the year. During the dry northeast monsoon season from November to March, the weather is often mild and comfortable. The shift from the northeast monsoon to the southwest monsoon occurs during April and May. The weather during the moist southwest monsoon season from June to August is often rainy and stormy. However, the weather patterns of Maldives do not always conform to the monsoon patterns of South Asia. In the south, annual rainfall reaches approximately 3,800 millimeters (150 inches), and in the north it reaches 2,500 millimeters (100 inches).
Rainfall generally reaches a maximum sometime in the period November to March. Daily hours of sunshine average three to four in the wetter months and as much as eight to nine in the drier season. The northern islands are very occasionally affected by violent storms as tropical cyclones develop in the Arabian Sea between August and November. These bring very strong winds and torrential rain.
Malé is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. Here there is often a drier season covering the months of February and March.
| Climate data for Malé (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.4 (86.7) | 30.8 (87.4) | 31.4 (88.5) | 31.7 (89.1) | 31.3 (88.3) | 30.8 (87.4) | 30.7 (87.3) | 30.5 (86.9) | 30.3 (86.5) | 30.3 (86.5) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.1 (86.2) | 30.7 (87.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 28.0 (82.4) | 28.3 (82.9) | 28.9 (84.0) | 29.3 (84.7) | 29.1 (84.4) | 28.7 (83.7) | 28.4 (83.1) | 28.3 (82.9) | 28.1 (82.6) | 28.1 (82.6) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.8 (82.0) | 28.4 (83.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 25.8 (78.4) | 26.0 (78.8) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.4 (79.5) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.8 (78.4) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.4 (77.7) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.4 (77.7) | 25.9 (78.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 100.1 (3.94) | 41.0 (1.61) | 65.5 (2.58) | 127.2 (5.01) | 202.6 (7.98) | 173.2 (6.82) | 175.0 (6.89) | 188.6 (7.43) | 222.2 (8.75) | 212.5 (8.37) | 239.3 (9.42) | 226.3 (8.91) | 1,973.5 (77.70) |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization | |||||||||||||
References
- E. A. Pearce, Charles Gordon Smith, (1990) The Hutchinson World Weather Guide, John Murray Press. ISBN 1859863426
- Timothy L. Gall, (ed.), (2003), Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Eleventh Edition, Thomson Gale
- Hugh Chisholm, (ed.), (1911), Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh edition, Cambridge University Press
The Climate of the
Maldives
In summary:
The Maldives’ equatorial climate is generally hot and humid, with a mean temperature of about 28°C (83°F). The weather during the northeast monsoon (November–March) is typically mild and pleasant; the southwest monsoon (June–August) is stormy and rainy.
The northern atolls are subject to more violent storms than those in the south. Annual rainfall in the south averages about 380 cm (150 in); in the north, 250 cm (100 in).