Lilongwe weather in January

In January, Lilongwe sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 208 mm of rain across 25 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 1st-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 3% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Lilongwe's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lilongwe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
7th warmest
Overnight low
18°
10th coldest
Rainfall
208 mm
25 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:32 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
86%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical January day in Lilongwe reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12719
22719
32719
42719
52619
62619
72619
82619
92619
102619
112619
122618
132618
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292618
302618
312618

Lilongwe weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 7th-warmest and 1st-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 90%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21486
31486
41387
51288
61189
71189
81189
91090
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
271090
281090
291090
30991
311090

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Lilongwe gets around 208 mm of rain over 25 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 80% and peaks near 81% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
176
276
377
477
578
678
779
880
980
1081
1181
1281
1381
1481
1581
1680
1780
1880
1980
2080
2180
2280
2380
2480
2580
2680
2780
2880
2980
3080
3179

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 68% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 68% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
123860
223860
313762
413762
513663
613663
713564
813564
913465
1013366
1113366
1203367
1303268
1403268
1503268
1603169
1703169
1803070
1903070
2002971
2102971
2202872
2302872
2402872
2502872
2602872
2702872
2812871
2912871
3012871
3112871

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:24 AM to 5:40 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 6:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:246:12
212.85:246:13
312.85:256:13
412.85:256:13
512.85:266:14
612.85:266:14
712.85:276:14
812.85:276:15
912.85:286:15
1012.85:296:15
1112.85:296:15
1212.85:306:16
1312.85:306:16
1412.85:316:16
1512.75:316:16
1612.75:326:16
1712.75:326:17
1812.75:336:17
1912.75:336:17
2012.75:346:17
2112.75:356:17
2212.75:356:17
2312.75:366:17
2412.75:366:17
2512.75:376:17
2612.75:376:17
2712.75:386:17
2812.65:386:17
2912.65:396:17
3012.65:396:17
3112.65:406:17

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.03 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 — January's 5.03 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Lilongwe

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Lilongwe?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Lilongwe for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lilongwe in January

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

In January, Lilongwe sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Lilongwe in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (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 January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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