Karonga weather in October

In October, Karonga sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 3 mm of rain across 0.8 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 8th-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 73% of the time in October, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Karonga's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Karonga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
26°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
0.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
5:23 AM – 5:36 PM
Cloud cover
27%
5th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
7.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.7
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical October day in Karonga reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°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 29°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 2°C warmer than September and on par with November.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12825
22825
32825
42825
52825
62825
72825
82825
92826
102826
112826
122826
132826
142826
152826
162826
172826
182826
192926
202926
212926
222926
232926
242926
252926
262926
272926
282926
292926
302926
312926

Karonga weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 2nd-warmest and 8th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 13%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
19010
29010
39010
49010
59010
69010
79010
89010
99010
109010
119010
129010
139010
148911
158911
168911
178911
188911
198812
208713
218614
228614
238515
248515
258416
268218
278119
288119
298020
307921
317822

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Karonga gets around 3 mm of rain over 0.8 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 3% and peaks near 7% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
122
132
142
152
162
173
183
193
203
213
224
234
244
255
265
275
286
296
306
317

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the humid band about 56% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 43% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1577180
2477190
3475210
4375220
5373240
6273250
7271270
8270280
9269290
10168310
11167320
12165340
13164350
14162370
15160390
16158410
17156430
18154450
19152470
20150490
21148510
22145540
23143560
24141580
25139600
26137611
27135631
28133651
29031681
30029701
31028711

Wind in October

Winds average 13 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:31 AM to 5:17 AM, and sunset from 5:36 PM to 5:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.15:315:36
212.15:305:36
312.15:295:36
412.15:295:36
512.15:285:36
612.15:285:36
712.15:275:36
812.25:275:36
912.25:265:36
1012.25:265:36
1112.25:255:36
1212.25:255:36
1312.25:245:36
1412.25:245:36
1512.25:235:36
1612.25:235:36
1712.25:225:36
1812.25:225:36
1912.35:215:36
2012.35:215:36
2112.35:205:37
2212.35:205:37
2312.35:205:37
2412.35:195:37
2512.35:195:37
2612.35:195:37
2712.35:185:37
2812.35:185:38
2912.35:185:38
3012.35:185:38
3112.45:175:38

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 7.15 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — October's 7.15 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.1Intense
37.1Intense
47.1Intense
57.1Intense
67.2Intense
77.2Intense
87.2Intense
97.2Intense
107.2Intense
117.2Intense
127.2Intense
137.2Intense
147.2Intense
157.2Intense
167.2Intense
177.2Intense
187.2Intense
197.2Intense
207.2Intense
217.2Intense
227.2Intense
237.2Intense
247.1Intense
257.1Intense
267.1Intense
277.1Intense
287.1Intense
297.1Intense
307.1Intense
317.0Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Karonga

In seasonPeak

None of Karonga's seasonal hazards are active in October. 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 October a good time to visit Karonga?

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

7.7
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
8.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

October 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 October

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

In October, Karonga sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Karonga in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October 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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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