Fianarantsoa climate
Fianarantsoa (Madagascar) has a subtropical highland (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwb). The average temperature over the year is 18 °C65 °F, and about 1,774 mm70 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Fianarantsoa climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2577 | 1762 | 2170 | 37615 |
| Feb | 2577 | 1661 | 2169 | 29011 |
| Mar | 2476 | 1661 | 2068 | 2389.4 |
| Apr | 2373 | 1458 | 1966 | 973.8 |
| May | 2170 | 1254 | 1762 | 692.7 |
| Jun | 1966 | 1050 | 1558 | 632.5 |
| Jul | 1865 | 949 | 1457 | 622.5 |
| Aug | 2068 | 1049 | 1558 | 321.3 |
| Sep | 2272 | 1151 | 1762 | 311.2 |
| Oct | 2577 | 1355 | 1966 | 813.2 |
| Nov | 2679 | 1559 | 2169 | 1696.6 |
| Dec | 2679 | 1661 | 2170 | 26610 |
| Year | 2679 | 949 | 1865 | 1,77470 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84% | 80% | 5.8 | 13:18 |
| Feb | 86% | 78% | 5.7 | 12:50 |
| Mar | 87% | 73% | 5.2 | 12:16 |
| Apr | 86% | 62% | 4.6 | 11:37 |
| May | 86% | 57% | 3.9 | 11:06 |
| Jun | 86% | 57% | 3.5 | 10:50 |
| Jul | 85% | 60% | 3.6 | 10:57 |
| Aug | 82% | 56% | 4.4 | 11:23 |
| Sep | 78% | 55% | 5.4 | 12:00 |
| Oct | 75% | 62% | 5.8 | 12:38 |
| Nov | 76% | 68% | 6.2 | 13:10 |
| Dec | 79% | 73% | 6.3 | 13:26 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Fianarantsoa is like
The warmest month is December, with an average high of 26 °C79 °F and a low of 16 °C61 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 18 °C65 °F and lows 9 °C49 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 7.5 °C13.6 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,774 mm70 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 52% of the annual total. The wettest month is January (376 mm15 in), the driest is September (31 mm1.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 75% in October to 87% in March. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 55%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in April to 11 km/h (7 mph) in September. Daylight lasts from about 10.8 hours in June to 13.4 hours in December.
Best time to visit Fianarantsoa
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–October: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 25 °C77 °F with 31 mm1.2 in to 97 mm3.8 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is very wet (376 mm15 in) and humid (84% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Fianarantsoa
- Wetter months (November–March) — highs 2476 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 1559 to 17 °C62 °F, about 268 mm11 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (April–October) — highs 1865 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 949 to 14 °C58 °F, about 62 mm2.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
How Fianarantsoa compares
Compared with Antsirabe, about 177 km to the north, Fianarantsoa is on average 1.4 °C2.5 °F warmer and receives 7% less precipitation (1,774 mm70 in vs 1,910 mm75 in). The difference is largest in January (1.8 °C3.2 °F warmer).
Of the 7 places in Madagascar covered by World Climates, Fianarantsoa is the 5th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 4th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Madagascar climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Xalapa de Enríquez (Mexico, Cfb), Poços de Caldas (Brazil, Cwb) and Nova Friburgo (Brazil, Cfb).
Nearby places
- Antsirabe 177 km · 17 °C62 °F · 1,910 mm75 in
- Antananarivo 286 km · 18 °C64 °F · 2,383 mm94 in
- Toliara 410 km · 26 °C79 °F · 600 mm24 in
- Toamasina 440 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,952 mm77 in
- Mahajanga 643 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,457 mm57 in
- Saint-Paul 850 km · 26 °C78 °F · 632 mm25 in
- Saint-Denis 870 km · 25 °C77 °F · 793 mm31 in
- Angoche 952 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,071 mm42 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Fianarantsoa?
December is the warmest month in Fianarantsoa, with an average high of 26 °C (79 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (61 °F).
What is the coldest month in Fianarantsoa?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 18 °C (65 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (49 °F).
When does it rain the most in Fianarantsoa?
January is the wettest month with about 376 mm (14.8 in) of precipitation; September is the driest with about 31 mm (1.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Fianarantsoa?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.