Dedza weather in December

In December, Dedza sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 268 mm of rain across 24.9 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-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 8% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Dedza's 10th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dedza's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
17°
11th coldest
Rainfall
268 mm
24.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:13 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
80%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Dedza is human settlement.

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 25°C through the month.

A typical December day in Dedza reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12617
22617
32617
42617
52617
62617
72617
82617
92617
102517
112517
122517
132517
142517
152517
162517
172517
182517
192517
202517
212517
222517
232517
242517
252517
262517
272517
282517
292517
302517
312517

Dedza 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
Jan25° / 17°34727.712.83.9
Feb25° / 17°25922.412.54.4
Mar25° / 17°20122.212.14.9
Apr24° / 15°5410.211.77.0
May23° / 12°133.611.38.2
Jun21° / 10°51.611.28.1
Jul21° / 10°62.211.27.9
Aug23° / 11°51.311.58.6
Sep25° / 14°61.511.98.7
Oct27° / 16°326.212.37.5
Nov27° / 18°10013.912.76.0
Dec25° / 17°26824.912.84.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% 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 80%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23466
33466
43169
53070
62971
72773
82674
92476
102377
112179
122179
131981
141981
151684
161684
171486
181486
191486
201387
211387
221486
231486
241486
251585
261585
271585
281585
291486
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Dedza gets around 268 mm of rain over 24.9 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 81% and peaks near 87% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
165
266
368
469
570
672
773
875
976
1078
1179
1281
1382
1483
1584
1685
1785
1886
1986
2086
2186
2286
2386
2486
2586
2686
2786
2886
2986
3087
3187

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 77% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 9% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1823672
2722692
3621712
4620722
5519733
6418753
7417763
8316774
9315775
10214795
11213796
12213787
13212797
14211798
15110809
161107910
17198010
18188011
19187912
20178012
21177913
22177814
23068014
24067915
25067915
26067816
27057916
28057916
29057916
30057916
31057916

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 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 5:09 AM to 5:21 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)
112.85:095:56
212.85:095:57
312.85:095:57
412.85:095:58
512.85:105:58
612.85:105:59
712.85:105:59
812.85:116:00
912.85:116:00
1012.85:116:01
1112.85:126:02
1212.85:126:02
1312.85:126:03
1412.85:136:03
1512.85:136:04
1612.85:136:04
1712.85:146:05
1812.85:146:05
1912.85:156:06
2012.95:156:06
2112.95:166:07
2212.95:166:07
2312.95:176:08
2412.95:176:08
2512.85:186:09
2612.85:186:09
2712.85:196:09
2812.85:196:10
2912.85:206:10
3012.85:206:11
3112.85:216:11

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.54 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.71 kWh/m² to a high of 6.88 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.54 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.0Intense
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Dedza

In seasonPeak

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

Dedza sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Dedza?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Dedza for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dedza in December

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

In December, Dedza sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Dedza in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dedza peaks around January 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 19UV 16Jun 19UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Dedza 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 Dedza is worst in September — around 33 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1232 µg/m³Dec 2310 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep33Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dedza?

Dedza sits at 14.4°S, 34.3°E, 1,608 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Ulongué, 38 km away.

NtcheuSalimaMonkey BayLilongweBalakaMangochiMponela

Topography around Dedza

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dedza has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 638 m around an average of 1,607 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,124 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,693 m.

The land around Dedza is covered by cropland (49%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, cropland (73%) within 16 km, and cropland (54%) within 80 km.

3 km
638 m
16 km
1,124 m
80 km
1,693 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Ulongué 38 km · Ntcheu 59 km · Salima 68 km · Monkey Bay 71 km · Lilongwe 75 km · Balaka 95 km · Mangochi 101 km · Mponela 114 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 Dedza (-14.3779°, 34.3332°, elevation 1,608 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).