Mulanje weather in May

In May, Mulanje sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 16 mm of rain across 4.8 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-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 51% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Mulanje's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mulanje's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
10th warmest
Overnight low
15°
4th coldest
Rainfall
16 mm
4.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
5:57 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
39%
4th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Mulanje is place in Southern Region, Malawi.

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 Mulanje reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12516
22516
32516
42516
52516
62516
72516
82516
92416
102416
112415
122415
132415
142415
152415
162415
172415
182415
192415
202415
212415
222415
232415
242415
252415
262415
272415
282415
292414
302314
312314

Mulanje weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 10th-warmest and 9th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 23%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27228
37327
47327
57426
67426
77426
87525
97624
107624
117624
127723
137624
147624
157723
167723
177723
187921
197921
207921
217921
228020
238020
248020
258020
268020
278119
288119
298020
308020
318020

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mulanje gets around 16 mm of rain over 4.8 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 16% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
119
220
320
419
519
619
718
818
918
1017
1117
1217
1317
1417
1516
1616
1715
1815
1914
2014
2114
2214
2314
2414
2514
2613
2713
2813
2913
3014
3114

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 50% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1537499
2639478
3741457
4743436
5844416
61046405
71147384
81248364
91349353
101450333
111551322
121552312
131653292
141754281
151854271
161855261
171954261
182054251
192154241
202154241
212255230
222354230
232454220
242554210
252653210
262753200
272952190
283053170
293252160
303352150
313551140

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:52 AM to 6:02 AM, and sunset from 5:18 PM to 5:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.45:525:18
211.45:535:18
311.45:535:17
411.45:535:17
511.45:535:16
611.45:545:16
711.45:545:15
811.35:545:15
911.35:545:14
1011.35:555:14
1111.35:555:14
1211.35:555:13
1311.35:565:13
1411.35:565:13
1511.35:565:12
1611.35:575:12
1711.25:575:12
1811.25:575:11
1911.25:585:11
2011.25:585:11
2111.25:585:11
2211.25:595:10
2311.25:595:10
2411.25:595:10
2511.26:005:10
2611.26:005:10
2711.26:005:10
2811.16:015:09
2911.16:015:09
3011.16:015:09
3111.16:025:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.63 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 — May's 4.63 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mulanje

In seasonPeak

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

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 May a good time to visit Mulanje?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mulanje in May

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

In May, Mulanje sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Mulanje in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (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 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 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
May 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).