Malé, the capital of the Maldives, occupies a small, densely built coral island in the Indian Ocean, barely a couple of metres above sea level and just north of the equator at approximately 4.18°N, 73.51°E. It has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) — hot and humid year-round, cooled by ocean breezes — with two monsoon seasons and no change of temperature.

There is no summer in the temperate sense: temperatures barely change, with daytime highs around 30–31°C and warm, humid nights near 26–27°C every month. The southwest monsoon, from May to October, is the wetter, windier, stormier season, bringing frequent heavy downpours, thunderstorms and rougher seas, though bright spells still break through.

There is no true winter, but the northeast monsoon from December to April brings the dry season — sunnier, calmer, with light winds, less rain and lower humidity. Temperatures remain steady and warm, so the difference between seasons is one of wind and rain rather than heat; this bright, calm stretch is the peak tourist season.

Malé receives on the order of 1,900–2,100 mm of rain a year, with the bulk falling during the southwest monsoon from May to October, while February and March are the driest months; even the dry season sees occasional showers. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Malé sits barely a metre or two above the ocean, making the Maldives the lowest-lying country on earth and among the most vulnerable to rising seas and storm surge. It lies far enough from the cyclone belts to escape tropical cyclones, but the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami inundated much of the capital, and swell-driven flooding remains a recurring threat.

To follow any single measurement in Male more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.