Mchinji weather in December

In December, Mchinji sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 217 mm of rain across 24.4 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 29°C in the first days to 26°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Mchinji's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mchinji's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
4th warmest
Overnight low
19°
11th coldest
Rainfall
217 mm
24.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:20 AM – 6:09 PM
Cloud cover
80%
10th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Mchinji is human settlement in Mchinji District, Malawi.

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 26°C by the end.

A typical December day in Mchinji 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 3°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
152719
162719
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302619
312619

Mchinji weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°2672712.73.9
Feb26° / 18°21122.512.54.2
Mar26° / 18°15921.112.14.8
Apr26° / 16°357.111.77.2
May25° / 14°51.211.48.6
Jun24° / 12°10.111.29.0
Jul23° / 11°10.111.38.9
Aug26° / 13°10.111.58.8
Sep29° / 16°20.411.97.6
Oct30° / 18°183.212.35.8
Nov30° / 19°7011.312.64.7
Dec28° / 19°21724.412.84.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 81%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23268
33268
43070
52872
62872
72674
82575
92476
102377
112179
122080
131882
141882
151684
161585
171486
181486
191387
201486
211387
221486
231486
241486
251486
261486
271585
281486
291387
301387
311387

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mchinji gets around 217 mm of rain over 24.4 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 78% and peaks near 85% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
262
364
466
567
669
771
873
974
1076
1177
1278
1379
1481
1582
1682
1783
1884
1984
2084
2184
2284
2384
2484
2584
2684
2784
2885
2985
3085
3185

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 52% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 52% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
19185419
28175421
37165423
46165325
55155327
65145229
74135132
84125034
93114937
103104740
113104542
12294345
13284148
14283951
15173755
16173557
17163459
18163261
19153163
20152965
21152866
22052867
23042769
24042670
25042670
26032671
27032671
28022672
29022672
30022672
31022672

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
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 5:16 AM to 5:28 AM, and sunset from 6:01 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:166:01
212.85:166:01
312.85:166:02
412.85:166:03
512.85:176:03
612.85:176:04
712.85:176:04
812.85:176:05
912.85:186:05
1012.85:186:06
1112.85:186:06
1212.85:196:07
1312.85:196:07
1412.85:206:08
1512.85:206:08
1612.85:206:09
1712.85:216:09
1812.85:216:10
1912.85:226:10
2012.85:226:11
2112.85:236:11
2212.85:236:12
2312.85:236:12
2412.85:246:13
2512.85:246:13
2612.85:256:14
2712.85:256:14
2812.85:266:15
2912.85:266:15
3012.85:276:15
3112.85:286:16

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.59 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.88 kWh/m² to a high of 6.81 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.59 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.0Intense
36.0Intense
46.0Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mchinji

In seasonPeak

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

Mchinji'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 Mchinji?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mchinji for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mchinji in December

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

In December, Mchinji sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 24 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mchinji 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 Mchinji 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 Mchinji 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 Mchinji is worst in August — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodAug 1926 µg/m³Dec 1811 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct19Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mchinji?

Mchinji sits at 13.8°S, 32.9°E, 1,186 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Chipata, 31 km away.

MponelaLilongweKasunguDedzaSalima

Topography around Mchinji

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mchinji has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 462 m around an average of 1,216 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 848 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,185 m.

The land around Mchinji is covered by cropland (39%) and trees (30%) within 3 km, cropland (46%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and cropland (46%) and trees (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
462 m
16 km
848 m
80 km
1,185 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Chipata 31 km · Katete 90 km · Mponela 97 km · Lilongwe 100 km · Kasungu 107 km · Sinda 129 km · Dedza 169 km · Salima 170 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 Mchinji (-13.7984°, 32.8802°, elevation 1,186 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).