Lilongwe weather in December

In December, Lilongwe sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 142 mm of rain across 19.3 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 29°C in the first days to 27°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Lilongwe's 10th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lilongwe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
19°
11th coldest
Rainfall
142 mm
19.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:16 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
77%
10th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Lilongwe is capital of Malawi.

Density
1,533/km²
people per km²
Founded
1902

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 29°C in the first days to 27°C by the end.

A typical December day in Lilongwe reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12919
22919
32919
42919
52919
62919
72819
82819
92819
102819
112819
122819
132819
142819
152819
162819
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302719
312719

Lilongwe weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°2082512.74.2
Feb26° / 18°15820.212.54.6
Mar26° / 18°11317.212.15.4
Apr26° / 16°245.411.77.5
May25° / 14°40.711.48.7
Jun23° / 12°10.111.29.0
Jul23° / 11°10.211.38.8
Aug25° / 13°10.111.59.0
Sep28° / 15°10.311.98.3
Oct29° / 18°101.712.36.7
Nov30° / 19°397.412.65.4
Dec28° / 19°14219.312.84.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% 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 76%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24159
34060
44060
53763
63664
73466
83268
93169
102872
112674
122476
132377
142278
152080
161882
171882
181783
191684
201684
211585
221684
231684
241684
251684
261684
271684
281684
291684
301684
311585

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Lilongwe gets around 142 mm of rain over 19.3 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 63% and peaks near 75% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
243
344
445
547
648
750
852
954
1056
1158
1260
1361
1463
1565
1666
1768
1869
1970
2071
2172
2272
2372
2473
2573
2673
2774
2874
2974
3075
3175

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 50% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 39% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
18235910
27226011
36216013
46206014
55196016
65176018
74166020
84155922
93145924
103135826
113115729
122105731
132105434
14295237
15285139
16274942
17174844
18164646
19164548
20154450
21154351
22154252
23144154
24144055
25144055
26033958
27033958
28033958
29023959
30023860
31023860

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:12 AM to 5:24 AM, and sunset from 5:58 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:125:58
212.85:125:58
312.85:125:59
412.85:125:59
512.85:136:00
612.85:136:00
712.85:136:01
812.85:136:01
912.85:146:02
1012.85:146:02
1112.85:146:03
1212.85:156:04
1312.85:156:04
1412.85:166:05
1512.85:166:05
1612.85:166:06
1712.85:176:06
1812.85:176:07
1912.85:186:07
2012.85:186:08
2112.85:196:08
2212.85:196:09
2312.85:206:09
2412.85:206:10
2512.85:216:10
2612.85:216:10
2712.85:226:11
2812.85:226:11
2912.85:236:12
3012.85:236:12
3112.85:246:12

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.55 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.83 kWh/m² to a high of 6.91 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.55 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
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Lilongwe

In seasonPeak

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

Lilongwe's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Lilongwe?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Lilongwe for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lilongwe in December

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

In December, Lilongwe sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Lilongwe in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lilongwe peaks around January 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 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 18UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Lilongwe 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 Lilongwe is worst in August — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.8× the cleanest month (January, 14 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateAug 1938 µg/m³Jan 1214 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb17Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul33Moderate
Aug39Poor
Sep36Poor
Oct25Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lilongwe?

Lilongwe sits at 14.0°S, 33.8°E, 1,056 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Mponela, 49 km away.

MponelaDedzaSalimaMchinjiUlonguéKasunguMonkey BayNkhotakota

Topography around Lilongwe

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lilongwe has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 94 m around an average of 1,056 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 287 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,693 m.

The land around Lilongwe is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and trees (35%) within 3 km, cropland (61%) within 16 km, and cropland (63%) within 80 km.

3 km
94 m
16 km
287 m
80 km
1,693 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Mponela 49 km · Dedza 75 km · Salima 75 km · Mchinji 100 km · Ulongué 104 km · Kasungu 109 km · Monkey Bay 122 km · Nkhotakota 128 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 Lilongwe (-13.9669°, 33.7873°, elevation 1,056 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. 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).