Liwonde weather in May

In May, Liwonde sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 4 mm of rain across 0.7 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Liwonde's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Liwonde's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
9th warmest
Overnight low
17°
4th coldest
Rainfall
4 mm
0.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
5:56 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
36%
4th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.92 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Liwonde is city in Malawi.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical May day in Liwonde reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12818
22818
32818
42818
52818
62818
72817
82817
92817
102817
112817
122817
132817
142717
152717
162717
172717
182717
192717
202717
212716
222716
232716
242716
252716
262716
272716
282716
292716
302616
312616

How May really feels in Liwonde

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Liwonde weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 22°27925.812.83.4
Feb29° / 22°19219.612.53.9
Mar29° / 21°13717.412.14.5
Apr29° / 19°285.511.76.5
May27° / 17°40.711.38.2
Jun25° / 15°20.411.18.7
Jul25° / 14°20.311.28.7
Aug27° / 16°10.411.58.3
Sep30° / 18°20.311.96.4
Oct32° / 21°142.412.34.7
Nov33° / 23°689.412.73.7
Dec30° / 22°18822.612.93.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27624
37624
47624
57624
67723
77723
87723
97822
107822
117822
127822
137921
147921
157822
167822
177921
187921
197921
208020
218119
228119
238119
248218
258218
268218
278218
288218
298218
308317
318317

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Liwonde gets around 4 mm of rain over 0.7 wet days in May. 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 6% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
16
25
35
44
54
64
73
83
93
103
112
122
132
142
152
162
172
182
192
202
212
222
232
242
252
262
272
282
292
302
312

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 46% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
10324522
21344520
31354519
41374517
51394415
62404414
73414312
83434311
94444210
10545419
11645418
12746407
13747406
14847405
15848395
16948394
17948384
181049384
191149373
201149373
211249363
221248363
231348353
241449343
251549333
261649323
271750313
281850293
291951273
302151253
312351242

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:52 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 5:20 PM to 5:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:525:20
211.55:525:20
311.45:535:19
411.45:535:19
511.45:535:18
611.45:535:18
711.45:545:18
811.45:545:17
911.45:545:17
1011.45:555:16
1111.45:555:16
1211.35:555:16
1311.35:555:15
1411.35:565:15
1511.35:565:15
1611.35:565:14
1711.35:575:14
1811.35:575:14
1911.35:575:14
2011.35:585:13
2111.35:585:13
2211.25:585:13
2311.25:585:13
2411.25:595:13
2511.25:595:12
2611.25:595:12
2711.26:005:12
2811.26:005:12
2911.26:005:12
3011.26:015:12
3111.26:015:12

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.92 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.39 kWh/m² to a high of 6.72 kWh/m² in November across the year — May's 4.92 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Liwonde

In seasonPeak

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

Liwonde'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 May a good time to visit Liwonde?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
8.5
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Liwonde for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Liwonde in May

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

In May, Liwonde sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Liwonde in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Liwonde peaks around January 17 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 8 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 17UV 15Jun 20UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Liwonde in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Liwonde is worst in August — around 46 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 14 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateAug 1746 µg/m³Dec 2014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May32Moderate
Jun36Poor
Jul41Poor
Aug46Poor
Sep42Poor
Oct28Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec14Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Liwonde?

Liwonde sits at 15.1°S, 35.2°E, 499 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Balaka, 31 km away.

MangochiNtcheuBlantyreMandimbaMwanzaUlongué

Topography around Liwonde

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Liwonde has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 63 m around an average of 488 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 808 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,804 m.

The land around Liwonde is covered by cropland (33%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, shrubs (32%), cropland (32%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and cropland (47%) within 80 km.

3 km
63 m
16 km
808 m
80 km
1,804 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Balaka 31 km · Zomba 37 km · Mangochi 66 km · Ntcheu 69 km · Blantyre 83 km · Mandimba 92 km · Mwanza 96 km · Ulongué 100 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 Liwonde (-15.0666°, 35.2254°, elevation 499 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).