Karonga weather in May

In May, Karonga sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 6 mm of rain across 1.5 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Karonga's 6th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Karonga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
9th warmest
Overnight low
23°
4th coldest
Rainfall
6 mm
1.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
5:54 AM – 5:27 PM
Cloud cover
31%
6th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.6
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical May day in Karonga reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12624
22624
32624
42624
52624
62624
72624
82624
92624
102624
112624
122623
132623
142623
152623
162623
172623
182623
192523
202523
212523
222523
232523
242523
252523
262523
272523
282523
292523
302523
312523

Karonga weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 7th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 13%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18416
28416
38416
48614
58614
68614
78614
88614
98614
108614
118515
128515
138614
148614
158614
168614
178614
188614
198614
208614
218713
228713
238812
248911
258911
269010
279010
28928
29928
30937
31937

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Karonga gets around 6 mm of rain over 1.5 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 5% and peaks near 9% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
19
29
39
48
58
68
77
87
96
106
116
125
135
145
155
164
174
184
194
204
213
223
233
243
253
263
273
283
293
303
313

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 53% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 54% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1017803
2019783
3021763
4023752
5024742
6026722
7028702
8130681
9133651
10135631
11137611
12140581
13142570
14144550
15145540
16147520
17148510
18150490
19151480
20152470
21253450
22254440
23256420
24356410
25358390
26459370
27560350
28661330
29762310
30864280
311064260

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 5:52 AM to 5:58 AM, and sunset from 5:31 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.75:525:31
211.65:525:31
311.65:525:30
411.65:525:30
511.65:525:30
611.65:525:29
711.65:535:29
811.65:535:29
911.65:535:28
1011.65:535:28
1111.65:535:28
1211.65:535:28
1311.65:545:28
1411.65:545:27
1511.65:545:27
1611.55:545:27
1711.55:545:27
1811.55:555:27
1911.55:555:26
2011.55:555:26
2111.55:555:26
2211.55:555:26
2311.55:565:26
2411.55:565:26
2511.55:565:26
2611.55:565:26
2711.55:575:26
2811.55:575:26
2911.55:575:26
3011.55:575:26
3111.55:585:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.96 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 — May's 4.96 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
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
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Karonga

In seasonPeak

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

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 May a good time to visit Karonga?

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

8.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
8.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Karonga in May

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

In May, Karonga sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 23°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Karonga 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 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 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 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
May 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).