Maldives
1 city
Climate overview
The Maldives spans 7°06′N–0°41′S as an Indian Ocean archipelago nation comprising 26 atolls and roughly 1,190 coral islands totalling only 298 km² of land scattered across approximately 90,000 km² of ocean southwest of India. The country is the world's lowest-lying: average ground level just 1.5 m above sea level, the highest natural point on Vilingili reaches only a few metres, and over 80% of the islands lie below 1 m.
It comprises distinct atoll groups stretched north–south across the equator (North and South Malé, Ari, Lhaviyani, Addu). The climate is tropical monsoon (Am) across most of the atolls, grading to tropical rainforest (Af) in the far south around Addu, modulated by the southwest monsoon (Hulhangu) and the northeast monsoon (December–March, Iruvai) with very warm tropical sea-surface temperatures year-round.
Malé sees highs of 31°C and lows of 26°C in January and highs near 32°C and lows of 27°C in May with 1,920 mm rainfall, lowest in February and March and peaking with the southwest monsoon. Hulhulé airport, next to Malé, has the same temperatures with 2,030 mm. Gan in the southern Addu Atoll (south of the equator) records highs of 31°C and lows of 25°C in January and in May with 2,300 mm. The northern atolls, such as Lhaviyani, are drier than the south.
Sea-surface temperatures stay warm year-round and have been rising. Major events include the severe 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami (over 100 dead or missing in the Maldives, damage equal to about 62% of national GDP), the severe 2016 mass coral bleaching event that bleached about 60% of the corals surveyed, the 1998 El Niño bleaching that killed two-thirds of the nation's reefs, recurrent wave flooding (high waves flooded Malé in April 1987, prompting its breakwaters and seawalls), sea-level rise threatening the very existence of the nation, and growing tourism-sector vulnerability (tourism accounts for close to 30% of GDP).
Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 0.9°C.
How the climate has shifted in the Maldives
Average across 1 city with full ERA5 coverage: 1940–1970 baseline vs the last decade (2016–2025).
- Annual mean temperature
- 26.6°C→27.5°C
- Days above 30°C per year
- 0 days→1 day+1
- Frost days per year
- 0 days→0 days+0
- Tropical nights (≥20°C) per year
- 365 nights→365 nights+0
What's unusual right now
From a snapshot of the world's largest cities updated each hour. Today's mean temperature compared with each city's long-term average for the same calendar date (ERA5 climatology, 1940 onward). Last 30 days uses each city's rolling daily-mean vs its monthly average. Not a global ranking.
Running warm
Warmest in the Maldives right now
Coolest in the Maldives right now
From a snapshot of the world's largest cities updated each hour. Not a global ranking.