Balaka weather in May

In May, Balaka sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 5 mm of rain across 1 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 26°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Balaka's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Balaka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
9th warmest
Overnight low
17°
4th coldest
Rainfall
5 mm
1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
5:57 AM – 5:16 PM
Cloud cover
33%
5th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.4
out of 10

Balaka is city in Malawi.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 26°C by the end.

A typical May day in Balaka reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12818
22818
32718
42717
52717
62717
72717
82717
92717
102717
112717
122717
132717
142717
152717
162717
172716
182716
192716
202716
212616
222616
232616
242616
252616
262616
272616
282616
292616
302616
312615

How May really feels in Balaka

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Balaka weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 21°27925.312.83.7
Feb28° / 21°19019.112.54.2
Mar29° / 21°12216.312.14.9
Apr28° / 19°255.311.77.2
May27° / 17°5111.38.4
Jun25° / 15°20.811.18.8
Jul24° / 14°30.911.28.9
Aug27° / 16°20.511.58.6
Sep30° / 18°20.511.96.8
Oct32° / 21°152.312.35.2
Nov32° / 22°598.312.74.1
Dec30° / 22°16720.512.93.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17921
28020
38020
48020
58020
68119
78119
88218
98218
108218
118317
128317
138317
148416
158416
168416
178416
188416
198416
208614
218614
228614
238614
248614
258614
268614
278713
288713
298614
308614
318614

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Balaka gets around 5 mm of rain over 1 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 4% and peaks near 7% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
17
26
36
46
55
65
74
84
94
103
113
123
133
143
153
163
173
183
193
203
213
223
233
243
253
263
273
283
293
303
313

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 50% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
16384115
27404013
38423912
48443711
51045369
61146358
71247347
81348326
91449316
101550305
111651294
121752283
131851283
141853272
151953262
162053261
172054251
182153251
192154241
202154241
212253241
222253241
232353231
242453230
252553220
262653210
272852200
282952190
293152170
303351160
313551140

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:53 AM to 6:02 AM, and sunset from 5:22 PM to 5:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:535:22
211.55:535:21
311.45:545:21
411.45:545:20
511.45:545:20
611.45:545:19
711.45:555:19
811.45:555:18
911.45:555:18
1011.45:565:18
1111.45:565:17
1211.35:565:17
1311.35:565:17
1411.35:575:16
1511.35:575:16
1611.35:575:16
1711.35:585:15
1811.35:585:15
1911.35:585:15
2011.35:585:15
2111.35:595:14
2211.35:595:14
2311.25:595:14
2411.26:005:14
2511.26:005:14
2611.26:005:14
2711.26:015:13
2811.26:015:13
2911.26:015:13
3011.26:025:13
3111.26:025:13

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.93 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.41 kWh/m² to a high of 6.71 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 4.93 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Balaka

In seasonPeak

None of Balaka's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Balaka's monsoon runs December–February, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Balaka?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

8.4
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
8.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Balaka for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Balaka in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Balaka sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Balaka in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 18UV 15Jun 19UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Balaka in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual 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).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateAug 1746 µg/m³Dec 2014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May32Moderate
Jun36Poor
Jul41Poor
Aug46Poor
Sep42Poor
Oct28Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec14Moderate
Location & terrain

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.

ZombaMangochiUlonguéMwanzaBlantyreDedza

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.

3 km
80 m
16 km
327 m
80 km
1,811 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Liwonde 31 km · Ntcheu 39 km · Zomba 60 km · Mangochi 65 km · Ulongué 70 km · Mwanza 83 km · Blantyre 90 km · Dedza 95 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
Protestant 34%other Christian 27%Roman Catholic 17%Muslim 14%

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).