Situated between 12 and 25° of south latitude , Madagascar has an essentially tropical climate . Considering the varied relief , notable climatical differences can occur : clement and almost constant temperature , sea of a tropical warmth in the North West and the South , freshness on the High land, heat and humidity on the East . Generally Madagascar is regulated by two distinct seasons : the dry season from May to October ( the southern winter ) and the rainy season from October to April ( the southern Summer ).

The East of Madagascar is extremely watered . The south east trade brought all the year hot and humid air masses . The backbone that spreads from north to south a hundred of kilometers from the oriental coast on almost along the length of the island , is an obstacle to clouds . The air that climbs gets colder and loses its humidity by falling as rain . The average temperature exceeds here 20°C . The oriental shore is in major part covered by rain forest .

Exempt of rain , the West and the South West of Madagascar are submitted to a dry climate . The South West receives only 400 to 500 millimeters of rain per year while the average temperature does not descend below 24 °C. In this region , the vegetation is composed essentially of xerophyts , succulent and other dryness resistant plant . The steppe covers almost all the West .These are zones where the farming predominates.

Each year , the North and the South East , which are fertile regions , are threatened by cyclones provoking abundant precipitations . Annual average tempetatures are 24 ° C in the South and 26°C in the North .

The High Land where stands the capital Antananarivo has a relatively fresh climate due to the altitude . During the fresh season that lasts from June to August , it happens that it freezes from time to time in mountains . The annual average varies between 16 and 18 ° C