Two monsoons
The Maldives has two seasons, set by the monsoon winds. The northeast monsoon, from January to March, is the dry season. The southwest monsoon usually arrives around the middle of May and eases in October, and brings most of the year’s rain. The months either side of the dry season are the turn of the seasons.
Rain in the southwest monsoon mostly comes in showers that do not last long, with sunny spells between, though now and then it rains every day for several days. The start of the monsoon can bring a few days of strong wind and rough sea.
Month by month
What each month is usually like. Every month has a page of its own, with more on the weather, the sea, holidays and prices.
| Month | Weather | In the water | Visitors |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Dry and sunny, with low humidity | Calm and very clear | Peak season |
| February | Usually the driest month | Flat and very clear | Peak season |
| March | Dry and sunny, but hotter and more humid | Calm and clear; the surf season gets going | Busy; Easter falls on 28 March in 2027 |
| April | Usually the hottest month; showers start later in the month | The warmest sea of the year | Still busy early in the month; rates start to fall from mid-month |
| May | The southwest monsoon arrives; short, heavy showers | Mantas move to the eastern sides; Hanifaru Bay’s season begins | Low season begins |
| June | Showers in short bursts, with sun between | Mantas in Hanifaru Bay; big swells | Low season |
| July | Hot and humid; short, heavy showers | Mantas and whale sharks; big surf | Low season |
| August | Warm and humid; short, heavy showers | Whale sharks in South Ari; mantas in Baa | Fewer visitors than in winter; busier in the Italian holiday week |
| September | Often one of the wettest months | Big manta gatherings in Hanifaru Bay | One of the quietest months |
| October | Still wet at times; showers begin to ease | Mantas and whale sharks | Fewer visitors, with good offers |
| November | Rain eases; more sun later in the month | The water clears; mantas move back west | Quieter than December |
| December | Drier and sunnier | Calm and clear | Good value early; peak from mid-month |
It is warm in every month, with daytime highs of around 30°C. April is usually the hottest month, and February the driest.
North and south
The country runs a long way from north to south, and the weather changes along it. The southern atolls get the most rain, about 2,200 mm a year, and the northern atolls the least, about 1,800 mm. In the far south, January brings about as much rain as most other months, while in the north the wettest months are May to August.
Tropical cyclones rarely reach the Maldives, which lies close to the equator. The northern atolls are the more exposed; in the south the risk is very low.
The sea
The sea is warm all year, and changes by less than 2°C over the year. It is warmest in April, at about 29.5°C to 30°C.
What you are likely to see moves with the seasons. Mantas gather on the eastern sides of the atolls in the southwest monsoon, and in Hanifaru Bay between about May and November; whale sharks are seen around South Ari Atoll all year. The surf season runs from mid-February to November, at its best from March to May and from September to November. Diving and snorkelling seasons has more.
Busy and quiet months
More visitors come between December and March, in the dry season, than at any other time of year. This is peak season at the resorts, when rates are at their highest, so it is worth booking early.
The southwest monsoon, from about mid-May to October, is the low season. There are fewer guests, and many resorts lower their rates or run offers. August is the exception: the European summer holidays, the Italian holiday week in particular, make it busier.
Resorts set their own prices by date. If your dates can move, we can quote the same stay for two different months, so you can compare.