Mponela weather in January

In January, Mponela sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 288 mm of rain across 28.5 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 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Mponela's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mponela's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
7th warmest
Overnight low
18°
9th coldest
Rainfall
288 mm
28.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:33 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
90%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Mponela is human settlement.

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 25°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mponela reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12518
22518
32518
42518
52518
62518
72518
82518
92518
102518
112518
122518
132518
142518
152518
162518
172518
182518
192518
202518
212518
222518
232518
242518
252518
262518
272518
282518
292518
302518
312518

Mponela 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
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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 94%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11189
21090
31090
4991
5991
6991
7793
8694
9595
10595
11496
12496
13496
14496
15496
16496
17496
18496
19496
20496
21595
22595
23595
24595
25595
26595
27595
28595
29595
30694
31793

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mponela gets around 288 mm of rain over 28.5 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 92% and peaks near 93% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
190
290
391
491
592
692
792
893
993
1093
1193
1293
1393
1493
1593
1692
1792
1892
1991
2091
2191
2291
2391
2491
2591
2691
2791
2891
2990
3090
3190

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 50% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 49% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
114950
214950
314949
415049
515049
615148
715148
815148
915148
1015148
1115148
1215148
1305248
1405248
1505248
1605248
1705149
1805149
1905149
2005149
2105050
2205050
2305050
2404951
2504951
2604951
2704852
2814851
2914851
3014851
3114752

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 5:25 AM to 5:40 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:256:12
212.85:256:12
312.85:266:12
412.85:266:13
512.85:276:13
612.85:276:13
712.85:286:14
812.85:286:14
912.85:296:14
1012.85:306:15
1112.75:306:15
1212.75:316:15
1312.75:316:15
1412.75:326:16
1512.75:326:16
1612.75:336:16
1712.75:336:16
1812.75:346:16
1912.75:346:16
2012.75:356:16
2112.75:356:16
2212.75:366:17
2312.75:366:17
2412.75:376:17
2512.75:376:17
2612.65:386:17
2712.65:386:17
2812.65:396:17
2912.65:396:17
3012.65:406:17
3112.65:406:16

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.89 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 — January's 4.89 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.8Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mponela

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Mponela?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.4
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mponela.

What to pack for Mponela in January

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

In January, Mponela sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mponela 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 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 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 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
January 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).