Madurai climate
Madurai (Tamil Nadu, India) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 28 °C82 °F, and about 959 mm38 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Madurai climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3187 | 1865 | 2476 | 90.3 |
| Feb | 3493 | 2067 | 2780 | 120.5 |
| Mar | 3798 | 2373 | 3085 | 230.9 |
| Apr | 3799 | 2577 | 3188 | 502.0 |
| May | 3697 | 2578 | 3187 | 1014.0 |
| Jun | 3494 | 2475 | 2985 | 572.2 |
| Jul | 3493 | 2475 | 2984 | 722.8 |
| Aug | 3493 | 2374 | 2984 | 893.5 |
| Sep | 3493 | 2374 | 2883 | 1154.5 |
| Oct | 3189 | 2373 | 2781 | 1977.7 |
| Nov | 2984 | 2170 | 2577 | 1777.0 |
| Dec | 2984 | 1967 | 2475 | 592.3 |
| Year | 3799 | 1865 | 2882 | 95938 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74% | 43% | 5.2 | 11:36 |
| Feb | 64% | 38% | 5.9 | 11:48 |
| Mar | 57% | 45% | 6.3 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 59% | 57% | 6.2 | 12:20 |
| May | 64% | 63% | 6.0 | 12:34 |
| Jun | 65% | 71% | 5.8 | 12:42 |
| Jul | 63% | 76% | 5.6 | 12:39 |
| Aug | 66% | 74% | 5.8 | 12:27 |
| Sep | 70% | 69% | 5.8 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 78% | 72% | 5.1 | 11:53 |
| Nov | 84% | 71% | 4.5 | 11:39 |
| Dec | 83% | 60% | 4.4 | 11:33 |
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 Madurai is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 37 °C99 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 29 °C84 °F and lows 19 °C67 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 7 °C12.5 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 959 mm38 in. The wettest three-month stretch is September–November, which brings 51% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January and February. The wettest month is October (197 mm7.7 in), the driest is January (9 mm0.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 57% in March to 84% in November. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 38%) are typical of February. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in October to 10 km/h (6 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 11.5 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Madurai
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December and January: average highs of 29 °C84 °F to 31 °C87 °F with 9 mm0.3 in to 59 mm2.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is October, which is hot, with average highs of 31 °C89 °F, very wet (197 mm7.7 in) and humid (78% 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 Madurai
- Wetter months (May, August–November) — highs 2984 to 36 °C97 °F, lows 2170 to 25 °C78 °F, about 136 mm5.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (December–April, June and July) — highs 2984 to 37 °C99 °F, lows 1865 to 25 °C77 °F, about 40 mm1.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Madurai compares
Compared with Coimbatore, about 175 km to the northwest, Madurai is on average 2.4 °C4.4 °F warmer and receives 16% less precipitation (959 mm38 in vs 1,143 mm45 in). The difference is largest in July (4.3 °C7.8 °F warmer).
Of the 382 places in India covered by World Climates, Madurai is the 32nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 196th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the India climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm (Vietnam, Aw), Machiques (Venezuela, Aw) and Maicao (Colombia, BSh).
Nearby places
- Dindigul 52 km · 27 °C81 °F · 825 mm32 in
- Sivakasi 63 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,321 mm52 in
- Karaikkudi 73 km · 28 °C83 °F · 915 mm36 in
- Pudukkottai 92 km · 28 °C82 °F · 844 mm33 in
- Karur 116 km · 28 °C83 °F · 763 mm30 in
- Tiruchirappalli 118 km · 28 °C83 °F · 830 mm33 in
- Thoothukudi 128 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,053 mm41 in
- Tirunelveli 141 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,293 mm51 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Madurai?
April is the warmest month in Madurai, with an average high of 37 °C (99 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Madurai?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (67 °F).
When does it rain the most in Madurai?
October is the wettest month with about 197 mm (7.7 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 9 mm (0.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Madurai?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December and January.
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 219 m, while Madurai lies at about 139 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.5 °C0.9 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.