Lilongwe weather in October

In October, Lilongwe sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 10 mm of rain across 1.7 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Lilongwe's 3rd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lilongwe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
18°
8th coldest
Rainfall
10 mm
1.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:20 AM – 5:39 PM
Cloud cover
31%
3rd clearest
Wind
13 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical October day in Lilongwe reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 2°C warmer than September and on par with November.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12917
22917
32917
42917
52917
62917
72917
82917
92917
102917
112917
122918
132918
142918
152918
162918
173018
183018
193018
203018
213018
223018
233018
243018
253018
263019
273019
283019
293019
303019
313019

Lilongwe weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 12%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18911
28911
38812
48812
58812
68812
78812
88812
98812
108812
118812
128812
138812
148812
158812
168812
178812
188812
198812
208812
218812
228812
238812
248713
258713
268713
278713
288614
298614
308416
318416

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Lilongwe gets around 10 mm of rain over 1.7 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 5% and peaks near 9% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
13
24
34
44
54
64
74
84
94
104
114
124
134
144
154
165
175
185
195
205
215
225
236
246
256
267
277
288
298
309
319

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 66% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
185132
283152
381163
480173
578193
677203
776213
874224
973234
1072244
1171254
1270264
1369274
1468284
1567294
1666304
1766304
1865314
1964324
2063334
2162335
2261345
2359356
2458366
2556377
2653398
2752408
2849429
29474310
30454411
31434512

Wind in October

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

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:30 AM to 5:13 AM, and sunset from 5:38 PM to 5:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.15:305:38
212.15:295:38
312.15:295:38
412.25:285:38
512.25:275:38
612.25:275:38
712.25:265:38
812.25:255:38
912.25:255:38
1012.25:245:38
1112.35:235:39
1212.35:235:39
1312.35:225:39
1412.35:225:39
1512.35:215:39
1612.35:205:39
1712.35:205:40
1812.35:195:40
1912.45:195:40
2012.45:185:40
2112.45:185:40
2212.45:175:41
2312.45:175:41
2412.45:165:41
2512.45:165:41
2612.45:155:42
2712.55:155:42
2812.55:155:42
2912.55:145:43
3012.55:145:43
3112.55:135:43

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.91 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — October's 6.91 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.9Intense
56.9Intense
66.9Intense
76.9Intense
86.9Intense
96.9Intense
106.9Intense
116.9Intense
126.9Intense
136.9Intense
146.9Intense
156.9Intense
166.9Intense
176.9Intense
186.9Intense
196.9Intense
206.9Intense
216.9Intense
226.9Intense
236.9Intense
246.9Intense
256.9Intense
266.9Intense
276.9Intense
286.9Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Lilongwe

In seasonPeak

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

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 October a good time to visit Lilongwe?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
8.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Lilongwe for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Lilongwe in October

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

In October, Lilongwe sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Lilongwe in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 12 (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 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 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
October 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).