Mponela weather in May

In May, Mponela sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 8 mm of rain across 2.7 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Mponela's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mponela's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
9th warmest
Overnight low
14°
4th coldest
Rainfall
8 mm
2.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:00 AM – 5:23 PM
Cloud cover
38%
6th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.6
out of 10

Mponela is human settlement.

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 24°C through the month.

A typical May day in Mponela reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12415
22415
32415
42414
52414
62414
72414
82414
92414
102414
112414
122414
132414
142414
152414
162414
172414
182414
192413
202413
212413
222413
232413
242313
252313
262313
272313
282313
292313
302313
312313

Mponela 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
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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 29% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 18%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18218
28119
38119
48119
58119
68119
78119
88218
98218
108119
118119
128119
138119
148119
158119
168119
178119
188119
198218
208218
218317
228317
238317
248317
258416
268416
278416
288515
298515
308515
318614

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mponela gets around 8 mm of rain over 2.7 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 9% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
114
214
314
413
513
612
711
811
910
1010
119
129
139
148
158
168
178
187
197
207
217
227
236
246
256
266
275
285
295
305
314

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 57% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1304723
2324721
3354619
4374617
5404516
6424414
7454313
8474211
9494110
1051409
1153398
1254397
1356386
1458375
1559374
1660364
1762353
1862353
1963343
2065332
2165332
2265332
2366322
2467321
2568311
2669301
2771281
2872271
2974251
3076231
3178211

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:57 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 5:28 PM to 5:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:575:28
211.55:575:28
311.55:575:27
411.55:575:27
511.55:575:26
611.55:585:26
711.55:585:25
811.55:585:25
911.45:585:25
1011.45:585:24
1111.45:595:24
1211.45:595:24
1311.45:595:23
1411.45:595:23
1511.46:005:23
1611.46:005:23
1711.46:005:22
1811.46:015:22
1911.46:015:22
2011.36:015:22
2111.36:015:21
2211.36:025:21
2311.36:025:21
2411.36:025:21
2511.36:035:21
2611.36:035:21
2711.36:035:21
2811.36:035:21
2911.36:045:21
3011.36:045:20
3111.36:045:20

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.14 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 — May's 5.14 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mponela

In seasonPeak

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

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 May a good time to visit Mponela?

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

8.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mponela in May

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

In May, Mponela sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Mponela in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (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 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 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
May 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).