Toliara climate
Toliara (Madagascar) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 26 °C79 °F, and about 600 mm24 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Toliara climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3290 | 2577 | 2984 | 1666.5 |
| Feb | 3290 | 2577 | 2883 | 1144.5 |
| Mar | 3290 | 2475 | 2882 | 742.9 |
| Apr | 3187 | 2272 | 2680 | 271.1 |
| May | 2984 | 2068 | 2476 | 160.6 |
| Jun | 2781 | 1865 | 2373 | 100.4 |
| Jul | 2781 | 1763 | 2272 | 60.2 |
| Aug | 2883 | 1865 | 2374 | 70.3 |
| Sep | 3086 | 1967 | 2577 | 120.5 |
| Oct | 3189 | 2271 | 2780 | 261.0 |
| Nov | 3290 | 2373 | 2882 | 411.6 |
| Dec | 3391 | 2476 | 2983 | 1004.0 |
| Year | 3391 | 1763 | 2679 | 60024 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 71% | 47% | 7.4 | 13:25 |
| Feb | 73% | 42% | 7.1 | 12:54 |
| Mar | 72% | 36% | 6.5 | 12:17 |
| Apr | 70% | 32% | 5.5 | 11:35 |
| May | 69% | 28% | 4.6 | 11:00 |
| Jun | 68% | 27% | 4.2 | 10:42 |
| Jul | 66% | 26% | 4.4 | 10:50 |
| Aug | 63% | 25% | 5.3 | 11:19 |
| Sep | 62% | 24% | 6.3 | 11:00 |
| Oct | 63% | 28% | 7.2 | 12:41 |
| Nov | 64% | 31% | 7.8 | 13:17 |
| Dec | 67% | 38% | 7.9 | 13:34 |
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 Toliara is like
The warmest month is January, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 27 °C81 °F and lows 17 °C63 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 6.7 °C12 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 600 mm24 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 63% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is January (166 mm6.5 in), the driest is July (6 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 62% in September to 73% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 24%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 13 km/h (8 mph) in March to 15 km/h (10 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 10.7 hours in June to 13.6 hours in December.
Best time to visit Toliara
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–August: average highs of 27 °C81 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 6 mm0.2 in to 16 mm0.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is hot, with average highs of 32 °C90 °F and very wet (166 mm6.5 in).
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 Toliara
- Wetter months (December–March) — highs 3290 to 33 °C91 °F, lows 2475 to 25 °C77 °F, about 114 mm4.5 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 (April–November) — highs 2781 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1763 to 23 °C73 °F, about 18 mm0.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Toliara compares
Of the 7 places in Madagascar covered by World Climates, Toliara is the 2nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 7th 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): Santa Clara (Cuba, BSh), Arabi (Ethiopia, BSh) and Cienfuegos (Cuba, BSh).
Nearby places
- Fianarantsoa 410 km · 18 °C65 °F · 1,774 mm70 in
- Antsirabe 521 km · 17 °C62 °F · 1,910 mm75 in
- Antananarivo 636 km · 18 °C64 °F · 2,383 mm94 in
- Toamasina 831 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,952 mm77 in
- Inhambane 846 km · 25 °C76 °F · 790 mm31 in
- Vilankulo 870 km · 25 °C77 °F · 774 mm30 in
- Angoche 884 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,071 mm42 in
- Mahajanga 893 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,457 mm57 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Toliara?
January is the warmest month in Toliara, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Toliara?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (63 °F).
When does it rain the most in Toliara?
January is the wettest month with about 166 mm (6.5 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 6 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Toliara?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–August.
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 97 m, while Toliara lies at about 11 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.6 °C1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.