Chitipa weather in December

In December, Chitipa sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 197 mm of rain across 24.1 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 26°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of December to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Chitipa's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chitipa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
4th warmest
Overnight low
18°
11th coldest
Rainfall
197 mm
24.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
5:26 AM – 6:00 PM
Cloud cover
79%
9th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Chitipa is city in Malawi.

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 26°C by the end.

A typical December day in Chitipa reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°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, 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)
12818
22818
32818
42818
52818
62818
72818
82718
92718
102718
112718
122718
132718
142718
152718
162718
172718
182718
192718
202718
212718
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292618
302618
312618

Chitipa weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°19827.212.53.8
Feb26° / 18°16023.812.33.9
Mar26° / 18°18226.312.14.1
Apr25° / 17°10318.611.85.4
May25° / 15°155.111.67.9
Jun23° / 13°41.311.48.6
Jul23° / 12°41.411.58.6
Aug25° / 13°30.711.78.9
Sep27° / 15°30.611.98.3
Oct29° / 18°164.212.26.5
Nov29° / 18°8413.212.45.1
Dec27° / 18°19724.112.64.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23466
33466
43367
53268
63070
73070
82971
92773
102674
112575
122377
132377
142179
152179
162080
172080
181882
191882
201783
211783
221783
231684
241684
251585
261486
271486
281486
291288
301189
311189

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Chitipa gets around 197 mm of rain over 24.1 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 77% and peaks near 85% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
162
263
364
466
567
668
770
871
973
1074
1176
1277
1378
1479
1580
1681
1781
1882
1982
2082
2183
2283
2383
2484
2584
2684
2784
2884
2985
3085
3185

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 78% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 10% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1724672
2623683
3522703
4520723
5419734
6418744
7317764
8315775
9214786
10213796
11212797
12211798
13210808
1429809
15288010
16288010
17178111
18168112
19168112
20168013
21158113
22158113
23158014
24148114
25148015
26148015
27148015
28147916
29038116
30038116
31038017

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of December to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:21 AM to 5:33 AM, and sunset from 5:52 PM to 6:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.55:215:52
212.55:215:53
312.55:215:53
412.55:225:54
512.55:225:54
612.55:225:55
712.55:235:55
812.55:235:56
912.65:235:56
1012.65:245:57
1112.65:245:57
1212.65:255:58
1312.65:255:58
1412.65:255:59
1512.65:265:59
1612.65:266:00
1712.65:276:00
1812.65:276:01
1912.65:286:01
2012.65:286:02
2112.65:286:02
2212.65:296:03
2312.65:296:03
2412.65:306:04
2512.65:306:04
2612.65:316:05
2712.65:316:05
2812.65:326:06
2912.65:326:06
3012.65:336:06
3112.65:336:07

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.9 kWh/m² to a high of 7.08 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.6 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Intense
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Chitipa

In seasonPeak

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

Chitipa's monsoon runs December–April, 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 Chitipa?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Chitipa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Chitipa in December

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

In December, Chitipa sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 24 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Chitipa in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chitipa peaks around February 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 15 at about 10 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 19UV 16Jun 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Chitipa 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 Chitipa is worst in October — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.0× the cleanest month (May, 8 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodOct 1337 µg/m³May 158 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb12Good
Mar11Good
Apr9Good
May8Good
Jun10Good
Jul18Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep31Moderate
Oct39Poor
Nov17Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Chitipa?

Chitipa sits at 9.7°S, 33.3°E, 1,286 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Katumba, 65 km away.

KatumbaKyelaTukuyuKiwiraNakondeTundumaIpindaVwawa

Topography around Chitipa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chitipa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 116 m around an average of 1,276 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 890 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,457 m.

The land around Chitipa is covered by cropland (68%) within 3 km, cropland (40%) and shrubs (38%) within 16 km, and trees (40%), shrubs (29%) and cropland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
116 m
16 km
890 m
80 km
2,457 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Katumba 65 km · Kyela 65 km · Tukuyu 65 km · Kiwira 66 km · Nakonde 70 km · Tunduma 71 km · Ipinda 73 km · Vwawa 76 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 Chitipa (-9.7024°, 33.2697°, elevation 1,286 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).