Chitipa weather in May

In May, Chitipa sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 15 mm of rain across 5.1 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-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 43% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Chitipa's 6th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chitipa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
9th warmest
Overnight low
15°
4th coldest
Rainfall
15 mm
5.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
5:56 AM – 5:30 PM
Cloud cover
46%
6th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.9
out of 10

Chitipa 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

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

A typical May day in Chitipa 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 23°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12516
22516
32516
42516
52516
62516
72516
82516
92516
102516
112516
122515
132515
142515
152515
162515
172515
182515
192515
202515
212515
222515
232515
242515
252515
262515
272515
282514
292414
302414
312414

Chitipa 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
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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 29% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 28%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26337
36436
46436
56535
66634
76634
86832
96931
106931
117030
127030
137129
147129
157129
167228
177228
187327
197327
207426
217525
227624
237624
247822
257822
267921
278020
288119
298119
308218
318317

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Chitipa gets around 15 mm of rain over 5.1 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 16% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
230
329
428
527
626
725
824
922
1021
1120
1218
1317
1416
1515
1614
1714
1813
1912
2011
2110
2210
239
249
258
268
277
287
296
306
316

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 64% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
124157
234453
334651
444948
545145
655342
765539
865737
975934
1086032
1186329
1296427
1396625
14106723
15106921
16116920
17117118
18117217
19127216
20127315
21137314
22137413
23147412
24157411
25167410
2618739
2719738
2821727
2924706
3026695
3129665

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:54 AM to 6:00 AM, and sunset from 5:34 PM to 5:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.75:545:34
211.75:545:34
311.65:545:33
411.65:555:33
511.65:555:33
611.65:555:32
711.65:555:32
811.65:555:32
911.65:555:31
1011.65:555:31
1111.65:565:31
1211.65:565:31
1311.65:565:30
1411.65:565:30
1511.65:565:30
1611.65:565:30
1711.65:575:30
1811.55:575:30
1911.55:575:29
2011.55:575:29
2111.55:575:29
2211.55:585:29
2311.55:585:29
2411.55:585:29
2511.55:585:29
2611.55:595:29
2711.55:595:29
2811.55:595:29
2911.55:595:29
3011.56:005:29
3111.56:005:29

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5 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 — May's 5 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Chitipa

In seasonPeak

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

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 May a good time to visit Chitipa?

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

7.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Chitipa in May

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

In May, Chitipa sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Chitipa in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (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 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 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
May 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).