Lilongwe weather in March

In March, Lilongwe sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 113 mm of rain across 17.2 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 15% of the time in March, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Lilongwe's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lilongwe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
5th warmest
Overnight low
18°
7th coldest
Rainfall
113 mm
17.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
5:52 AM – 5:57 PM
Cloud cover
70%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical March day in Lilongwe reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°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, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12618
22618
32618
42618
52618
62618
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242617
252617
262617
272617
282617
292617
302617
312617

Lilongwe weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22179
32179
42179
52278
62278
72476
82575
92674
102773
112773
122872
132971
143070
153070
163268
173367
183367
193565
203565
213763
223763
234060
244159
254258
264555
274654
284753
294753
304852
315050

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Lilongwe gets around 113 mm of rain over 17.2 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 56% and peaks near 69% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
169
268
367
467
566
665
764
863
962
1061
1161
1260
1360
1460
1559
1659
1758
1857
1956
2055
2154
2252
2351
2449
2548
2646
2745
2843
2942
3040
3138

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the muggy band about 48% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 48% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1023761
2023860
3023959
4024058
5024157
6024157
7024256
8034354
9034354
10034453
11034453
12034453
13044452
14044452
15044452
16054451
17054451
18064450
19064450
20074449
21074548
22084646
23084745
24094843
25195041
261105039
271115236
281115434
291125631
301135729
311145926

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 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 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 24 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 5:49 AM to 5:53 AM, and sunset from 6:07 PM to 5:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:496:07
212.35:506:06
312.35:506:06
412.35:506:05
512.25:506:05
612.25:506:04
712.25:506:03
812.25:516:03
912.25:516:02
1012.25:516:01
1112.25:516:01
1212.15:516:00
1312.15:515:59
1412.15:515:59
1512.15:515:58
1612.15:525:57
1712.15:525:57
1812.15:525:56
1912.15:525:55
2012.05:525:55
2112.05:525:54
2212.05:525:53
2312.05:525:52
2412.05:525:52
2512.05:525:51
2612.05:535:50
2711.95:535:50
2811.95:535:49
2911.95:535:48
3011.95:535:47
3111.95:535:47

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.39 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 — March's 5.39 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Lilongwe

In seasonPeak

In March, 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 March a good time to visit Lilongwe?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Lilongwe for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lilongwe in March

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

In March, Lilongwe sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Lilongwe 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 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 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 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
March 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).