Karonga weather in December

In December, Karonga sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 121 mm of rain across 17.2 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Karonga's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Karonga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
25°
10th coldest
Rainfall
121 mm
17.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
5:23 AM – 5:58 PM
Cloud cover
72%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Karonga is township in the Karonga District in Northern Region of Malawi.

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 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Karonga reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12925
22925
32925
42925
52925
62925
72925
82825
92825
102825
112825
122825
132825
142825
152825
162825
172825
182825
192825
202825
212825
222825
232825
242825
252825
262825
272825
282825
292825
302825
312825

Karonga weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 25°18423.312.54.2
Feb28° / 25°17920.912.34.2
Mar27° / 24°16921.512.14.6
Apr27° / 24°519.911.86.7
May26° / 23°61.511.68.6
Jun24° / 22°20.811.49.1
Jul23° / 21°30.811.59.1
Aug24° / 22°10.211.79.4
Sep27° / 24°00.111.98.9
Oct28° / 26°30.812.27.7
Nov29° / 26°325.712.56.1
Dec28° / 25°12117.212.64.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24456
34357
44357
54258
64060
73961
83862
93763
103565
113565
123466
133367
143268
153268
163070
172971
182872
192773
202773
212773
222674
232674
242476
252377
262377
272377
282179
292080
302080
311981

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Karonga gets around 121 mm of rain over 17.2 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 55% and peaks near 69% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
239
340
441
543
644
745
847
949
1050
1151
1253
1354
1456
1557
1658
1759
1860
1961
2061
2162
2262
2363
2463
2564
2665
2765
2866
2967
3068
3169

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 50% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 98% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
156926
256728
346729
446531
546432
636334
736235
836037
925939
1025741
1125543
1225345
1315247
1415049
1514851
1614653
1714554
1814356
1914257
2014059
2113960
2213861
2313762
2413663
2513564
2613465
2713366
2813366
2913267
3013267
3103268

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
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 5:18 AM to 5:30 AM, and sunset from 5:50 PM to 6:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.55:185:50
212.55:185:51
312.55:185:51
412.55:195:52
512.65:195:52
612.65:195:53
712.65:205:53
812.65:205:54
912.65:205:54
1012.65:215:55
1112.65:215:55
1212.65:215:56
1312.65:225:56
1412.65:225:57
1512.65:235:57
1612.65:235:58
1712.65:245:58
1812.65:245:59
1912.65:245:59
2012.65:256:00
2112.65:256:00
2212.65:266:01
2312.65:266:01
2412.65:276:02
2512.65:276:02
2612.65:286:02
2712.65:286:03
2812.65:296:03
2912.65:296:04
3012.65:306:04
3112.65:306:05

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 4.68 kWh/m² to a high of 7.15 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
26.1Intense
36.0Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Karonga

In seasonPeak

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

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

Karonga'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 Karonga?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Karonga for sightseeing.

What to pack for Karonga in December

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

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

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Karonga 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 Karonga peaks around February 22 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 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 highExtremeFeb 22UV 15Jun 16UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Karonga 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 Karonga is worst in October — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.9× the cleanest month (May, 8 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateOct 1531 µg/m³May 178 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar11Good
Apr9Good
May8Good
Jun9Good
Jul12Good
Aug17Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct32Moderate
Nov19Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Karonga?

Karonga sits at 9.9°S, 33.9°E, 486 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Kyela, 40 km away.

IpindaMlangaliChitipaTukuyuKatumbaKiwiraNjombe

Topography around Karonga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Karonga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 17 m around an average of 480 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 433 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,352 m.

The land around Karonga is covered by cropland (40%) and water (24%) within 3 km, water (47%), cropland (23%) and shrubs (20%) within 16 km, and trees (33%), shrubs (23%) and water (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
17 m
16 km
433 m
80 km
2,352 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Kyela 40 km · Ipinda 50 km · Mlangali 66 km · Chitipa 77 km · Tukuyu 82 km · Katumba 85 km · Kiwira 95 km · Njombe 113 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 Karonga (-9.9333°, 33.9333°, elevation 486 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).