Mulanje weather in December

In December, Mulanje sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 232 mm of rain across 21.6 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of December to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mulanje's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mulanje's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
20°
12th coldest
Rainfall
232 mm
21.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:06 AM – 6:03 PM
Cloud cover
73%
10th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Mulanje is place in Southern Region, Malawi.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mulanje reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 8°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 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12920
22920
32920
42820
52820
62820
72820
82820
92820
102820
112820
122820
132820
142820
152820
162820
172820
182820
192820
202820
212820
222820
232820
242820
252820
262820
272820
282820
292820
302720
312720

Mulanje weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 20°33525.512.84.1
Feb27° / 20°22419.512.54.7
Mar27° / 19°16219.112.15.2
Apr25° / 17°5510.211.66.9
May24° / 15°164.811.38.2
Jun22° / 13°164.711.17.8
Jul22° / 13°236.111.17.5
Aug24° / 14°123.111.58.5
Sep27° / 16°132.311.98.0
Oct29° / 18°264.812.46.3
Nov30° / 20°8410.712.75.1
Dec28° / 20°23221.612.94.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24555
34357
44159
54060
63862
73763
83565
93367
103169
113070
122872
132773
142674
152575
162377
172377
182278
192278
202179
212278
222278
232179
242278
252278
262377
272278
282278
292377
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mulanje gets around 232 mm of rain over 21.6 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 70% and peaks near 80% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
152
254
355
456
558
659
761
862
964
1065
1167
1268
1369
1471
1572
1673
1774
1875
1975
2076
2176
2277
2377
2478
2578
2679
2779
2880
2980
3080
3180

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 74% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 78% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
111232550
211131570
311031580
411030590
50929611
60827641
70826651
80725671
90624691
100622702
110521722
120520732
130418753
140417763
150316783
160315793
170215794
180214804
190213805
200213805
210112825
220112816
230111826
240111826
250111826
260111817
270111817
280111817
290111817
300111808
310111808

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of December to 12 h 54 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 5:01 AM to 5:13 AM, and sunset from 5:54 PM to 6:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:015:54
212.95:015:55
312.95:025:55
412.95:025:56
512.95:025:57
612.95:025:57
712.95:035:58
812.95:035:58
912.95:035:59
1012.95:045:59
1112.95:046:00
1212.95:046:00
1312.95:056:01
1412.95:056:02
1512.95:056:02
1612.95:066:03
1713.05:066:03
1813.05:076:04
1913.05:076:04
2013.05:076:05
2113.05:086:05
2213.05:086:06
2313.05:096:06
2413.05:096:07
2513.05:106:07
2613.05:106:07
2713.05:116:08
2812.95:116:08
2912.95:126:09
3012.95:126:09
3112.95:136:09

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.1 kWh/m² to a high of 6.4 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.68 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mulanje

In seasonPeak

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

Mulanje'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 Mulanje?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mulanje for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mulanje in December

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

In December, Mulanje sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mulanje in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mulanje peaks around January 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 8 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 15UV 15Jun 20UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Mulanje 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 Mulanje is worst in September — around 65 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.1× the cleanest month (January, 21 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateSep 1064 µg/m³Jan 1321 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan21Moderate
Feb27Moderate
Mar31Moderate
Apr37Poor
May51Poor
Jun55Poor
Jul59Unhealthy
Aug62Unhealthy
Sep65Unhealthy
Oct43Poor
Nov27Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mulanje?

Mulanje sits at 16.0°S, 35.5°E, 609 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Milange, 30 km away.

BlantyreZombaNsanjeLiwondeMwanzaBalakaMorrumbala

Topography around Mulanje

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mulanje has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 482 m around an average of 653 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,463 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,917 m.

The land around Mulanje is covered by trees (43%) and cropland (32%) within 3 km, cropland (49%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and cropland (47%) within 80 km.

3 km
482 m
16 km
2,463 m
80 km
2,917 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Milange 30 km · Blantyre 59 km · Zomba 74 km · Nsanje 102 km · Liwonde 111 km · Mwanza 115 km · Balaka 131 km · Morrumbala 144 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 Mulanje (-16.0316°, 35.5°, elevation 609 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).