Weather in Mauritius

Found in the inter tropical belt, Mauritius has a pleasant weather almost all year long. It can be described as dry at about 23.7˚C making it ideal for tourist to enjoy the sea water all the time. The uplands are usually cooler than the coastal plains while the west coast remains the driest part of the island. Temperatures drop at night making it better to sleep while the days can be quite hot and thus a little uncomfortable for sightseeing in the busy cities but great for tanning and swimming. There are two main seasons: summer (from November to May) and winter (June to October). Being an island found near the tropics, the summers are not so hot (though temperatures can peak at certain times) because of the constant blow of the South East Trade Winds over the island and the winters are not so cold as the island is situated where the sun is directly located. Summer temperatures can range from 20˚C to 28˚C on the highlands and 25˚C to 33˚C on the coasts; winters usually have temperatures of 16˚C on the central plateau and 22˚C on the coasts. During the summer months, at least one cyclone with wind gusts exceeding 120km/h hits the island (usually about four cyclones arise in this part of the equator during the summer times) and is usually characterised by heavy downpour and rough sea. Mauritius however has its own system of cyclone detection and mitigation measures given that it has evolved in such an area and has thus to be prepared in case of extreme cyclones (such as Hollanda); so there is no need to be afraid if the island is hit by a cyclone during your stay as Mauritius has had numerous dealings with them. The winter in Mauritius is characterised by low bearable temperatures but with cold winds. It does not snow on the island given its position in the Indian Ocean but from time to time during the very cold periods on the upper parts, hail does fall though in small quantities. The temperatures tend to drop even lower at nights during the winter months though heaters are very rare to be used in Mauritius. The amount of rainfall received per year is about 2100mm but can range from 4350mm on the highlands to 750mm on the coastal plains. Tides are diurnal ranging in height from 0.5 m to 1.3 m. Sunrise and sunsets differ during the different seasons; in summer sunrise is at 5am to 6am and sunset is at 7pm; in winter sunrise is at 6.30-7am while sunset is at 6pm. All weather broadcasts are available from the Mauritius Meteorological Services which is the responsible body for the prediction of weather conditions on the island.