Climate and average weather in Balaka
In Balaka, the summers are hot, showery, and mostly clear and the winters are warm and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Balaka typically varies from 14°C to 32°C, and is rarely below 12°C or above 36°C. November is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Balaka for warm-weather activities is from mid April to mid September.
- Hottest
- Nov
- 32°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 14°
- Wettest
- Jan
- 279 mm
- Driest
- Aug
- 2 mm
- Rain / yr
- 871 mm
- 101 wet days
- Daylight
- 11.1–12.9 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 633 m
- 15.0°S
- Clearest
- Sep
- 24% cloud
Balaka is city in Malawi.
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Balaka weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid April to mid September.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Balaka, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 2.5 months, from September 23 to December 8, with daily high temperatures above 30°C. The hottest month of the year in Balaka is November, with an average high of 32°C and low of 22°C.
The cool season lasts 2.1 months, from June 2 to August 4, with daily high temperatures below 26°C. The coldest month of the year in Balaka is July, with an average low of 14°C and high of 24°C.
Days typically run about 9°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 11°C) in September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 30 |
| Avg low (°C) | 21 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 22 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 21 |
| Feb | 28 | 21 |
| Mar | 29 | 21 |
| Apr | 28 | 19 |
| May | 27 | 17 |
| Jun | 25 | 15 |
| Jul | 24 | 14 |
| Aug | 27 | 16 |
| Sep | 30 | 18 |
| Oct | 32 | 21 |
| Nov | 32 | 22 |
| Dec | 30 | 22 |
How hot and cold Balaka really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Balaka feels like about 33°C (around November 18). About 49 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in November.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 31 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 32 |
| Air high (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 30 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 21 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 22 |
| Air low (°C) | 21 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 22 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 28 | 21 | 21 |
| Feb | 30 | 28 | 21 | 21 |
| Mar | 30 | 29 | 21 | 21 |
| Apr | 29 | 28 | 19 | 19 |
| May | 27 | 27 | 17 | 17 |
| Jun | 25 | 25 | 15 | 15 |
| Jul | 24 | 24 | 14 | 14 |
| Aug | 27 | 27 | 16 | 16 |
| Sep | 30 | 30 | 18 | 18 |
| Oct | 32 | 32 | 21 | 21 |
| Nov | 33 | 32 | 22 | 22 |
| Dec | 32 | 30 | 22 | 22 |
Average hourly temperature in Balaka
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on November afternoons, near 32°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 14°C.
Balaka weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28° / 21° | 279 | 25.3 | 12.8 | 3.7 |
| Feb | 28° / 21° | 190 | 19.1 | 12.5 | 4.2 |
| Mar | 29° / 21° | 122 | 16.3 | 12.1 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 28° / 19° | 25 | 5.3 | 11.7 | 7.2 |
| May | 27° / 17° | 5 | 1 | 11.3 | 8.4 |
| Jun | 25° / 15° | 2 | 0.8 | 11.1 | 8.8 |
| Jul | 24° / 14° | 3 | 0.9 | 11.2 | 8.9 |
| Aug | 27° / 16° | 2 | 0.5 | 11.5 | 8.6 |
| Sep | 30° / 18° | 2 | 0.5 | 11.9 | 6.8 |
| Oct | 32° / 21° | 15 | 2.3 | 12.3 | 5.2 |
| Nov | 32° / 22° | 59 | 8.3 | 12.7 | 4.1 |
| Dec | 30° / 22° | 167 | 20.5 | 12.9 | 3.7 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Balaka gets about 871 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 4.7 months, from around Nov 17 to Apr 7, peaking in January at about 82% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Aug 5.
January is the wettest month by volume, with 279 mm over about 25 wet days; August is the driest, with 2 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 80 | 69 | 52 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 28 | 66 |
| Rain days | 25 | 19 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 21 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 80 | 25 |
| Feb | 69 | 19 |
| Mar | 52 | 16 |
| Apr | 18 | 5 |
| May | 4 | 1 |
| Jun | 3 | 1 |
| Jul | 3 | 1 |
| Aug | 2 | 1 |
| Sep | 2 | 1 |
| Oct | 8 | 2 |
| Nov | 28 | 8 |
| Dec | 66 | 21 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Balaka collects about 871 mm of rain across 101 wet days — roughly 73 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 279 mm, while August is the driest at just 2 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 73% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 279 | 190 | 122 | 25 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 59 | 167 |
| Rain days | 25 | 19 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 21 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 279 | 25 |
| Feb | 190 | 19 |
| Mar | 122 | 16 |
| Apr | 25 | 5 |
| May | 5 | 1 |
| Jun | 2 | 1 |
| Jul | 3 | 1 |
| Aug | 2 | 1 |
| Sep | 2 | 1 |
| Oct | 15 | 2 |
| Nov | 59 | 8 |
| Dec | 167 | 21 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Balaka, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around April 4 and lasts for 7.5 months, ending around November 16. The clearest month is September, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 90% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around November 17 and lasts for 4.5 months, ending around April 3. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 80% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 20 | 31 | 49 | 73 | 84 | 84 | 80 | 86 | 90 | 87 | 66 | 32 |
| Cloudier (%) | 80 | 69 | 51 | 27 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 34 | 68 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | 80 |
| Feb | 31 | 69 |
| Mar | 49 | 51 |
| Apr | 73 | 27 |
| May | 84 | 16 |
| Jun | 84 | 16 |
| Jul | 80 | 20 |
| Aug | 86 | 14 |
| Sep | 90 | 10 |
| Oct | 87 | 13 |
| Nov | 66 | 34 |
| Dec | 32 | 68 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around January 1, brings about 12 h 54 min of light; the shortest, around June 7, only 11 h 06 min — a swing of roughly 1 h 48 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 12.8 | 12.5 | 12.1 | 11.7 | 11.3 | 11.1 | 11.2 | 11.5 | 11.9 | 12.3 | 12.7 | 12.9 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:26 | 5:40 | 5:47 | 5:50 | 5:57 | 6:07 | 6:10 | 5:59 | 5:37 | 5:15 | 5:04 | 5:10 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:13 | 6:10 | 5:53 | 5:30 | 5:16 | 5:14 | 5:22 | 5:29 | 5:32 | 5:35 | 5:47 | 6:03 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12.8 | 5:26 | 6:13 |
| Feb | 12.5 | 5:40 | 6:10 |
| Mar | 12.1 | 5:47 | 5:53 |
| Apr | 11.7 | 5:50 | 5:30 |
| May | 11.3 | 5:57 | 5:16 |
| Jun | 11.1 | 6:07 | 5:14 |
| Jul | 11.2 | 6:10 | 5:22 |
| Aug | 11.5 | 5:59 | 5:29 |
| Sep | 11.9 | 5:37 | 5:32 |
| Oct | 12.3 | 5:15 | 5:35 |
| Nov | 12.7 | 5:04 | 5:47 |
| Dec | 12.9 | 5:10 | 6:03 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Balaka averages about 14 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 2 and 24 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 7.1 months, from around Apr 16 to Nov 16. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 23 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is January, down near 2 sunny days — about 90% fewer than the September peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 2 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 15 | 6 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Brilliant | Bright | Mixed | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 4 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 8 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 14 | Mixed |
| May | 20 | Bright |
| Jun | 19 | Bright |
| Jul | 18 | Bright |
| Aug | 22 | Bright |
| Sep | 23 | Brilliant |
| Oct | 23 | Bright |
| Nov | 15 | Mixed |
| Dec | 6 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Balaka, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 5.9 months, from around November 5 to May 3. The muggiest month is January, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 100% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around May 4 to November 4, and July is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 99% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 54 | 76 | 75 | 59 | 28 | 8 | 0 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 49 | 41 | 23 | 24 | 35 | 43 | 27 | 4 |
| Humid (%) | 4 | 7 | 12 | 40 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 32 | 11 |
| Muggy (%) | 46 | 49 | 59 | 38 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 32 | 60 |
| Oppressive (%) | 50 | 44 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 | 4 | 46 | 50 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 | 7 | 49 | 44 |
| Mar | 0 | 2 | 12 | 59 | 27 |
| Apr | 2 | 16 | 40 | 38 | 3 |
| May | 19 | 49 | 27 | 4 | 0 |
| Jun | 54 | 41 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 76 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 75 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 59 | 35 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 28 | 43 | 25 | 4 | 0 |
| Nov | 8 | 27 | 32 | 32 | 1 |
| Dec | 0 | 4 | 11 | 60 | 24 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Balaka is steady company: average speeds sit near 7 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | calm |
| Feb | 6 | calm |
| Mar | 6 | calm |
| Apr | 7 | calm |
| May | 7 | calm |
| Jun | 7 | calm |
| Jul | 8 | calm |
| Aug | 7 | calm |
| Sep | 8 | calm |
| Oct | 9 | calm |
| Nov | 8 | calm |
| Dec | 6 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Balaka
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Balaka's monsoon runs December–February, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Balaka
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Balaka throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early September, Balaka is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Balaka for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid April to mid September, with a peak score in the last week of June.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 3.7 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 7.2 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 8.9 | 8.5 | 6.9 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 3.7 |
| Rating | fair | fair | fair | good | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | good | fair | fair | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.7 | fair |
| Feb | 4.1 | fair |
| Mar | 5.0 | fair |
| Apr | 7.2 | good |
| May | 8.4 | ideal |
| Jun | 8.8 | ideal |
| Jul | 8.9 | ideal |
| Aug | 8.5 | ideal |
| Sep | 6.9 | good |
| Oct | 5.2 | fair |
| Nov | 4.1 | fair |
| Dec | 3.7 | fair |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Balaka for hot-weather activities is from mid April to early November, with a peak score in the second week of September.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Balaka, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around November (highs near 32°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 24°C), pack light clothes.
In November, Balaka sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Balaka by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Balaka peaks around January 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 8 (very high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 16 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 15 | Extreme |
| Apr | 12 | Extreme |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Balaka
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in January the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 7 | 7 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 7 |
| Feb | 8.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| May | 7 | 4.5 |
| Jun | 6.5 | 4 |
| Jul | 6.5 | 4.5 |
| Aug | 7 | 5 |
| Sep | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 8 | 6 |
| Nov | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 8.5 | 6.5 |
Air quality in Balaka by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Balaka is worst in August — around 46 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 14 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 15 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 32 | 36 | 41 | 46 | 42 | 28 | 17 | 14 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Moderate |
| Feb | 19 | Moderate |
| Mar | 22 | Moderate |
| Apr | 25 | Moderate |
| May | 32 | Moderate |
| Jun | 36 | Poor |
| Jul | 41 | Poor |
| Aug | 46 | Poor |
| Sep | 42 | Poor |
| Oct | 28 | Moderate |
| Nov | 17 | Moderate |
| Dec | 14 | Moderate |
Growing season
Balaka is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Balaka banks about 4,941 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around November.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 461 | 414 | 453 | 402 | 360 | 290 | 286 | 345 | 418 | 505 | 517 | 491 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 461 |
| Feb | 414 |
| Mar | 453 |
| Apr | 402 |
| May | 360 |
| Jun | 290 |
| Jul | 286 |
| Aug | 345 |
| Sep | 418 |
| Oct | 505 |
| Nov | 517 |
| Dec | 491 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Balaka receives about 5.5 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.3 and 6.8 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 4.4 months, from around Aug 22 to Jan 2. The brightest month is November, averaging about 6.6 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is July, down near 4.5 kWh/m² — roughly 33% less than the November peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 5.3 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 5.3 | 6.3 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 5.9 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.3 | Bright |
| Feb | 5.6 | Bright |
| Mar | 5.6 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.2 | Bright |
| May | 4.9 | Bright |
| Jun | 4.4 | Bright |
| Jul | 4.4 | Bright |
| Aug | 5.3 | Bright |
| Sep | 6.3 | Intense |
| Oct | 6.7 | Intense |
| Nov | 6.6 | Intense |
| Dec | 5.9 | Bright |
Where is Balaka?
Balaka sits at 15.0°S, 35.0°E, 633 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Liwonde, 31 km away.
Topography around Balaka
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Balaka.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Balaka has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 80 m around an average of 636 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 327 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,811 m.
The land around Balaka is covered by cropland (57%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, cropland (65%) within 16 km, and cropland (48%) and shrubs (24%) within 80 km.
Malawi travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type G
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 53% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $672
- 2025
- Happiness
- 3.3 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 18%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 1.8
- per 100k, 2012
- Road deaths
- 33.4
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Low
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 465
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Balaka (-14.9793°, 34.9558°, elevation 633 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).