Blantyre weather in May

In May, Blantyre sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 14 mm of rain across 4.3 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Blantyre's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Blantyre's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
10th warmest
Overnight low
15°
4th coldest
Rainfall
14 mm
4.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
5:58 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
39%
4th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.1
out of 10

Blantyre is city in Malawi.

Founded
1876

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical May day in Blantyre reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 28°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°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12616
22616
32616
42616
52616
62616
72616
82516
92515
102515
112515
122515
132515
142515
152515
162515
172515
182515
192515
202515
212515
222515
232515
242514
252514
262514
272514
282514
292414
302414
312414

Blantyre weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 10th-warmest and 9th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 24%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37426
47525
57525
67525
77525
87525
97525
107525
117525
127525
137525
147624
157525
167525
177525
187624
197624
207624
217723
227723
237723
247723
257723
267723
277723
287723
297723
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Blantyre gets around 14 mm of rain over 4.3 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 15% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
119
219
319
419
518
618
717
817
916
1016
1116
1216
1315
1415
1515
1614
1714
1813
1913
2012
2112
2212
2312
2412
2512
2612
2711
2811
2912
3012
3112

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 49% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14364812
24384711
35404510
4642449
5743427
6845416
7946405
81047385
91148374
101249354
111350343
121450333
131451323
141552312
151651312
161652302
171752292
181852291
191853281
201952281
211953271
222052271
232152261
242252251
252352250
262453230
272553220
282753200
292952190
303053170
313252160

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 h 06 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 5:54 AM to 6:03 AM, and sunset from 5:20 PM to 5:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.45:545:20
211.45:545:20
311.45:545:19
411.45:555:19
511.45:555:18
611.45:555:18
711.45:565:18
811.45:565:17
911.35:565:17
1011.35:565:16
1111.35:575:16
1211.35:575:16
1311.35:575:15
1411.35:585:15
1511.35:585:15
1611.35:585:14
1711.35:595:14
1811.25:595:14
1911.25:595:13
2011.25:595:13
2111.26:005:13
2211.26:005:13
2311.26:005:13
2411.26:015:12
2511.26:015:12
2611.26:025:12
2711.26:025:12
2811.26:025:12
2911.26:035:12
3011.16:035:12
3111.16:035:12

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.68 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 — May's 4.68 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Blantyre

In seasonPeak

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

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 May a good time to visit Blantyre?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.3
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Blantyre in May

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

In May, Blantyre sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Blantyre 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 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 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 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
May 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).