Mchinji weather in January

In January, Mchinji sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 267 mm of rain across 27 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 Mchinji's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mchinji's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
7th warmest
Overnight low
18°
10th coldest
Rainfall
267 mm
27 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:36 AM – 6:20 PM
Cloud cover
88%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
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 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 Mchinji 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)
12619
22619
32619
42619
52619
62619
72619
82619
92619
102619
112619
122619
132619
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292618
302618
312618

Mchinji 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°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 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 6% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 91%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21288
31288
41288
51189
61189
71189
81090
91090
10991
11793
12793
13793
14793
15793
16793
17892
18892
19892
20892
21892
22793
23793
24793
25793
26793
27793
28793
29892
30892
31892

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mchinji gets around 267 mm of rain over 27 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 86% and peaks near 87% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
185
285
385
485
585
685
786
886
987
1087
1187
1287
1387
1487
1587
1687
1787
1887
1987
2087
2187
2287
2387
2487
2586
2686
2786
2886
2986
3086
3185

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 75% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 75% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
112673
212673
312673
412673
512673
612673
712673
802575
902575
1002476
1102476
1202476
1302476
1402377
1502377
1602377
1702377
1802377
1902377
2002377
2102377
2202377
2302377
2402377
2502377
2602377
2702476
2802476
2902476
3002476
3102575

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
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
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 5:28 AM to 5:43 AM, and sunset from 6:16 PM to 6:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:286:16
212.85:286:16
312.85:296:16
412.85:296:17
512.85:306:17
612.85:306:17
712.85:316:18
812.85:316:18
912.85:326:18
1012.85:326:19
1112.85:336:19
1212.85:346:19
1312.85:346:19
1412.75:356:19
1512.75:356:20
1612.75:366:20
1712.75:366:20
1812.75:376:20
1912.75:376:20
2012.75:386:20
2112.75:386:20
2212.75:396:20
2312.75:396:20
2412.75:406:20
2512.75:416:21
2612.75:416:21
2712.65:416:20
2812.65:426:20
2912.65:426:20
3012.65:436:20
3112.65:436:20

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.13 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 — January's 5.13 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mchinji

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Mchinji?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mchinji.

What to pack for Mchinji in January

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

In January, Mchinji sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mchinji 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 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 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 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
January 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).