Dedza weather in January

In January, Dedza sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 347 mm of rain across 27.7 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-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 2% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Dedza's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dedza's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
6th warmest
Overnight low
17°
10th coldest
Rainfall
347 mm
27.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:29 AM – 6:15 PM
Cloud cover
88%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Dedza is human settlement.

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical January day in Dedza reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12517
22517
32517
42517
52517
62517
72517
82517
92517
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 January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 6th-warmest and 1st-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 92%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21387
31288
41288
51189
61189
71090
8991
9892
10892
11793
12694
13694
14694
15694
16694
17694
18694
19694
20694
21694
22694
23694
24694
25694
26694
27694
28793
29793
30793
31892

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Dedza gets around 347 mm of rain over 27.7 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 89% and peaks near 91% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
187
288
388
488
589
689
790
890
990
1090
1191
1291
1390
1490
1590
1690
1789
1889
1989
2089
2188
2288
2388
2488
2588
2688
2787
2887
2987
3086
3186

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 78% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 17% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
157916
257916
357916
457916
557916
657916
758015
858015
958015
1058015
1158015
1258015
1358015
1457916
1557916
1657916
1757916
1857817
1957817
2057817
2157718
2257718
2357718
2457718
2557718
2657718
2757718
2857718
2967519
3067519
3167519

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
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 January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:21 AM to 5:37 AM, and sunset from 6:11 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:216:11
212.85:216:11
312.85:226:12
412.85:226:12
512.85:236:12
612.85:236:13
712.85:246:13
812.85:256:13
912.85:256:13
1012.85:266:14
1112.85:266:14
1212.85:276:14
1312.85:276:14
1412.85:286:15
1512.85:286:15
1612.85:296:15
1712.85:306:15
1812.85:306:15
1912.75:316:15
2012.75:316:15
2112.75:326:15
2212.75:326:16
2312.75:336:16
2412.75:336:16
2512.75:346:16
2612.75:346:16
2712.75:356:16
2812.75:356:15
2912.75:366:15
3012.75:366:15
3112.65:376:15

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.02 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 — January's 5.02 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
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
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Dedza

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Dedza?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.5
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dedza.

What to pack for Dedza in January

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

In January, Dedza sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Dedza in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (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 January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January 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
January 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).