Karonga weather in March

In March, Karonga sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 169 mm of rain across 21.5 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Karonga's 10th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Karonga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
6th warmest
Overnight low
24°
7th coldest
Rainfall
169 mm
21.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
5:52 AM – 5:56 PM
Cloud cover
77%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical March day in Karonga reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and about 1°C warmer than April.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12825
22825
32825
42825
52825
62825
72825
82725
92725
102725
112725
122725
132724
142724
152724
162724
172724
182724
192724
202724
212724
222724
232724
242724
252724
262724
272724
282724
292724
302724
312724

Karonga weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21783
31783
41882
51981
61981
71981
82179
92179
102179
112278
122278
132377
142476
152476
162575
172575
182674
192674
202674
212773
222872
232872
242872
253070
262971
273070
283169
293268
303268
313367

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Karonga gets around 169 mm of rain over 21.5 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 69% and peaks near 74% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
174
274
374
474
574
674
773
873
973
1072
1172
1272
1371
1471
1570
1669
1769
1868
1967
2067
2166
2266
2366
2465
2565
2664
2764
2863
2962
3062
3161

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the oppressive band about 66% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
12278
22278
32377
42377
52476
62575
72575
82674
92674
102773
112872
122971
132971
143070
153169
163268
173367
183466
193565
203664
213763
223862
233961
244159
254258
264456
274654
284852
295050
305248
315446

Wind in March

Winds average 8 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 5:51 AM to 5:51 AM, and sunset from 6:04 PM to 5:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.25:516:04
212.25:516:03
312.25:516:03
412.25:526:02
512.25:526:02
612.25:526:01
712.25:526:01
812.15:526:00
912.15:526:00
1012.15:525:59
1112.15:525:59
1212.15:525:58
1312.15:525:58
1412.15:525:57
1512.15:525:57
1612.15:525:56
1712.15:525:55
1812.05:525:55
1912.05:525:54
2012.05:525:54
2112.05:525:53
2212.05:525:52
2312.05:525:52
2412.05:525:51
2512.05:525:51
2612.05:525:50
2712.05:525:49
2812.05:525:49
2911.95:525:48
3011.95:515:48
3111.95:515:47

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.02 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 — March's 5.02 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
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
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Karonga

In seasonPeak

In March, 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 March a good time to visit Karonga?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Karonga for sightseeing.

What to pack for Karonga in March

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

In March, Karonga sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Karonga in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 15 (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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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