Blantyre weather in December

In December, Blantyre sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 225 mm of rain across 22.8 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of December to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Blantyre's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Blantyre's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
21°
12th coldest
Rainfall
225 mm
22.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:08 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
74%
11th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.57 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Blantyre is city in Malawi.

Founded
1876

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical December day in Blantyre reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12921
22921
32921
42921
52921
62921
72921
82921
92921
102921
112921
122921
132921
142921
152921
162821
172821
182821
192821
202821
212821
222821
232821
242821
252821
262821
272821
282821
292821
302821
312821

Blantyre weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 21°32125.812.84.0
Feb27° / 20°20119.812.54.5
Mar27° / 20°16619.112.15.1
Apr26° / 18°5010.511.76.7
May25° / 15°144.311.38.1
Jun23° / 13°114.111.18.1
Jul23° / 13°145.211.27.9
Aug25° / 14°72.311.58.4
Sep28° / 16°92.211.97.3
Oct30° / 19°294.712.45.7
Nov31° / 21°9012.312.74.5
Dec29° / 21°22522.812.93.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24258
34258
43961
53961
63763
73565
83367
93367
103169
112971
122872
132773
142575
152476
162377
172278
182278
192278
202179
212179
222278
232278
242278
252278
262278
272278
282278
292278
302377
312377

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Blantyre gets around 225 mm of rain over 22.8 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 74% and peaks near 81% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
159
260
362
463
564
666
767
868
969
1071
1172
1273
1374
1475
1576
1677
1777
1878
1978
2078
2179
2279
2379
2480
2580
2681
2781
2881
2981
3081
3181

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 73% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 82% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
111126602
211125612
311024632
41923643
51922653
61821673
70720694
80719704
90618724
100517735
110516745
120515746
130414766
140413767
150312787
160312778
170211789
180211789
1902107810
2002107711
210197812
220197812
230197713
240187714
250187615
260187615
270187516
280177616
290177517
300077617
310077518

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
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 December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of December to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:04 AM to 5:15 AM, and sunset from 5:56 PM to 6:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:045:56
212.95:045:56
312.95:045:57
412.95:045:58
512.95:045:58
612.95:055:59
712.95:055:59
812.95:056:00
912.95:066:00
1012.95:066:01
1112.95:066:01
1212.95:076:02
1312.95:076:03
1412.95:076:03
1512.95:086:04
1612.95:086:04
1712.95:096:05
1812.95:096:05
1912.95:096:06
2012.95:106:06
2112.95:106:07
2212.95:116:07
2312.95:116:08
2412.95:126:08
2512.95:126:08
2612.95:136:09
2712.95:136:09
2812.95:146:10
2912.95:146:10
3012.95:156:11
3112.95:156:11

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.57 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.15 kWh/m² to a high of 6.44 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.57 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Blantyre

In seasonPeak

In December, Blantyre sits inside its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Blantyre's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Blantyre?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Blantyre.

What to pack for Blantyre in December

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

In December, Blantyre sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Blantyre in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Blantyre peaks around January 16 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 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 16UV 15Jun 21UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Blantyre in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Blantyre is worst in September — around 65 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.1× the cleanest month (January, 21 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateSep 1064 µg/m³Jan 1321 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan21Moderate
Feb27Moderate
Mar31Moderate
Apr37Poor
May51Poor
Jun55Poor
Jul59Unhealthy
Aug62Unhealthy
Sep65Unhealthy
Oct43Poor
Nov27Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Blantyre?

Blantyre sits at 15.8°S, 35.0°E, 1,041 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Zomba, 55 km away.

ZombaMwanzaMulanjeLiwondeMilangeBalakaNtcheuNsanje

Topography around Blantyre

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Blantyre.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Blantyre has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 284 m around an average of 1,035 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,235 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,911 m.

The land around Blantyre is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and trees (41%) within 3 km, cropland (37%), trees (20%) and shrubs (20%) within 16 km, and cropland (40%) and shrubs (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
284 m
16 km
1,235 m
80 km
2,911 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Zomba 55 km · Mwanza 56 km · Mulanje 59 km · Liwonde 83 km · Milange 89 km · Balaka 90 km · Ntcheu 114 km · Nsanje 129 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 Blantyre (-15.785°, 35.0085°, elevation 1,041 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).