Mponela weather in December

In December, Mponela sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 211 mm of rain across 24.6 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mponela's 10th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mponela's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
18°
11th coldest
Rainfall
211 mm
24.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:17 AM – 6:05 PM
Cloud cover
80%
10th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Mponela is human settlement.

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 27°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical December day in Mponela 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 23°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12719
22719
32719
42719
52719
62718
72718
82718
92718
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252518
262518
272518
282518
292518
302518
312518

Mponela weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 18°28828.512.73.8
Feb25° / 18°2252412.54.0
Mar25° / 17°1672412.14.5
Apr24° / 16°4110.211.77.0
May24° / 14°82.711.48.6
Jun22° / 12°20.711.28.6
Jul22° / 11°30.611.38.5
Aug24° / 13°20.411.69.0
Sep26° / 16°30.711.98.8
Oct28° / 18°153.412.37.5
Nov28° / 19°6411.412.65.8
Dec26° / 18°21124.612.84.3

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 (%)
13961
23862
33763
43565
53367
63169
72971
82872
92575
102377
112278
122080
131882
141684
151486
161486
171387
181288
191288
201288
211288
221288
231189
241189
251288
261288
271288
281288
291189
301189
311189

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mponela gets around 211 mm of rain over 24.6 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 79% and peaks near 90% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
159
260
362
463
565
667
769
871
972
1074
1176
1278
1379
1481
1582
1683
1784
1885
1986
2086
2187
2287
2387
2487
2588
2688
2788
2888
2989
3089
3190

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 57% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 34% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15206312
24196413
33186514
43176416
52166517
62156518
71146619
81136620
91126522
101116523
111116325
120106327
13096229
14086131
15085933
16075835
17075637
18065539
19065341
20055243
21055144
22045046
23044947
24034848
25034849
26034850
27024850
28024850
29024850
30024850
31014851

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 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 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:13 AM to 5:25 AM, and sunset from 5:57 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:135:57
212.75:135:58
312.85:135:58
412.85:135:59
512.85:145:59
612.85:146:00
712.85:146:00
812.85:146:01
912.85:156:01
1012.85:156:02
1112.85:156:02
1212.85:166:03
1312.85:166:03
1412.85:176:04
1512.85:176:05
1612.85:176:05
1712.85:186:06
1812.85:186:06
1912.85:196:07
2012.85:196:07
2112.85:206:07
2212.85:206:08
2312.85:216:08
2412.85:216:09
2512.85:226:09
2612.85:226:10
2712.85:236:10
2812.85:236:11
2912.85:246:11
3012.85:246:11
3112.85:256:12

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.49 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.82 kWh/m² to a high of 6.97 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.49 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.7Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mponela

In seasonPeak

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

Mponela'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 Mponela?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mponela for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mponela in December

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

In December, Mponela sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mponela 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 Mponela 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
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Mponela 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 Mponela is worst in August — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateAug 2031 µg/m³Dec 1715 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug31Moderate
Sep30Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mponela?

Mponela sits at 13.5°S, 33.7°E, 1,218 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Lilongwe, 49 km away.

LilongweKasunguSalimaNkhotakotaMchinjiDedzaChipataMonkey Bay

Topography around Mponela

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mponela has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 215 m around an average of 1,216 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 498 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,230 m.

The land around Mponela is covered by cropland (75%) within 3 km, cropland (85%) within 16 km, and cropland (61%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
215 m
16 km
498 m
80 km
1,230 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Lilongwe 49 km · Kasungu 62 km · Salima 83 km · Nkhotakota 90 km · Mchinji 97 km · Dedza 114 km · Chipata 118 km · Monkey Bay 141 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 Mponela (-13.531°, 33.7393°, elevation 1,218 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).