Mulanje weather in January

In January, Mulanje sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 335 mm of rain across 25.5 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of January to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mulanje's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mulanje's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
20°
11th coldest
Rainfall
335 mm
25.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:22 AM – 6:13 PM
Cloud cover
81%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.2 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Mulanje is place in Southern Region, 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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mulanje reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 29°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)
12720
22720
32720
42720
52720
62720
72720
82720
92720
102720
112720
122720
132720
142720
152720
162720
172720
182720
192720
202720
212720
222720
232720
242720
252720
262720
272720
282720
292720
302720
312720

Mulanje weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 5th-warmest and 1st-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 81%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32278
42278
52377
62278
72278
82179
92080
102080
111882
121882
131783
141783
151783
161684
171684
181684
191684
201783
211783
221783
231882
241882
251882
261981
271981
281981
291981
302179
312179

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mulanje gets around 335 mm of rain over 25.5 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 81% and peaks near 83% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
180
280
380
480
580
680
780
880
980
1080
1181
1281
1381
1481
1582
1682
1782
1883
1983
2083
2183
2283
2383
2483
2583
2682
2782
2881
2980
3080
3179

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 81% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 90% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1111808
2012808
3012808
4012808
5012808
6012808
7012808
8013798
9012808
10012808
11012808
12012808
13011818
14011809
15011809
16010819
17010819
1809829
1909829
2008839
21088210
22088210
23078310
24078310
25078310
26078310
27078310
28078310
29078310
30078310
3107849

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
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 January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of January to 12 h 42 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 5:13 AM to 5:30 AM, and sunset from 6:09 PM to 6:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:136:09
212.95:146:10
312.95:146:10
412.95:156:10
512.95:156:11
612.95:166:11
712.95:166:11
812.95:176:11
912.95:186:12
1012.95:186:12
1112.95:196:12
1212.95:196:12
1312.95:206:13
1412.95:206:13
1512.95:216:13
1612.95:226:13
1712.95:226:13
1812.85:236:13
1912.85:236:13
2012.85:246:13
2112.85:246:13
2212.85:256:13
2312.85:266:13
2412.85:266:13
2512.85:276:13
2612.85:276:13
2712.85:286:13
2812.85:286:13
2912.75:296:13
3012.75:296:13
3112.75:306:13

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.2 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 — January's 5.2 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mulanje

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Mulanje?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mulanje for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mulanje in January

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

In January, Mulanje sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 20°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mulanje in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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 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 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
January 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).