Mwanza weather in December

In December, Mwanza sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 252 mm of rain across 22.6 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 16% 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 Mwanza's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mwanza's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
20°
12th coldest
Rainfall
252 mm
22.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:10 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
73%
10th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Mwanza is human settlement in 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 Mwanza 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
42920
52920
62920
72920
82920
92920
102820
112820
122820
132820
142820
152820
162820
172820
182820
192820
202820
212820
222820
232820
242820
252820
262820
272820
282820
292820
302820
312820

Mwanza 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°35225.912.84.0
Feb27° / 20°23021.312.54.4
Mar27° / 19°18020.212.15.0
Apr26° / 17°7312.111.76.6
May24° / 15°245.911.38.0
Jun23° / 13°245.811.17.8
Jul22° / 12°347.111.27.5
Aug25° / 14°163.311.58.5
Sep28° / 17°153.111.97.6
Oct30° / 19°355.412.45.9
Nov30° / 20°9511.812.74.7
Dec28° / 20°25222.612.94.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% 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 (%)
14555
24456
34258
44159
54060
63862
73664
83565
93367
103169
113070
122872
132773
142575
152476
162377
172278
182278
192278
202278
212377
222278
232278
242377
252377
262377
272377
282377
292377
302377
312377

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mwanza gets around 252 mm of rain over 22.6 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 73% 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 (%)
156
257
359
460
562
664
765
867
969
1070
1172
1273
1374
1475
1576
1677
1778
1878
1978
2079
2179
2279
2379
2479
2579
2680
2780
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 (%)
121330550
221229570
321228580
421127600
511026621
61925641
71924651
81823671
91721701
101720711
111619722
121518742
131516762
141415773
150414793
160314803
170313804
180213814
190212824
200212815
210112825
220111835
230111826
240111826
250111826
260111817
270111817
280111817
290011827
300011827
310011827

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 5:06 AM to 5:18 AM, and sunset from 5:57 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:065:57
212.95:065:58
312.95:065:59
412.95:065:59
512.95:076:00
612.95:076:00
712.95:076:01
812.95:086:01
912.95:086:02
1012.95:086:03
1112.95:096:03
1212.95:096:04
1312.95:096:04
1412.95:106:05
1512.95:106:05
1612.95:106:06
1712.95:116:06
1812.95:116:07
1912.95:126:07
2012.95:126:08
2112.95:136:08
2212.95:136:09
2312.95:146:09
2412.95:146:10
2512.95:156:10
2612.95:156:10
2712.95:166:11
2812.95:166:11
2912.95:176:12
3012.95:176:12
3112.95:186:12

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.32 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.67 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Intense
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mwanza

In seasonPeak

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

Mwanza'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 Mwanza?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mwanza for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mwanza in December

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

In December, Mwanza sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mwanza in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mwanza peaks around January 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 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 18UV 15Jun 21UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Mwanza 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 Mwanza is worst in September — around 70 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.4× the cleanest month (January, 13 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyModerateSep 1467 µg/m³Jan 1213 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May27Moderate
Jun29Moderate
Jul37Poor
Aug51Poor
Sep70Unhealthy
Oct40Poor
Nov19Moderate
Dec14Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mwanza?

Mwanza sits at 15.6°S, 34.5°E, 654 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Blantyre, 56 km away.

BlantyreBalakaNtcheuZombaLiwondeUlonguéMoatizeMulanje

Topography around Mwanza

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mwanza has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 348 m around an average of 666 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,150 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,754 m.

The land around Mwanza is covered by trees (36%), cropland (28%) and shrubs (21%) within 3 km, shrubs (35%), grassland (23%) and cropland (21%) within 16 km, and shrubs (28%), trees (24%) and grassland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
348 m
16 km
1,150 m
80 km
1,754 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Blantyre 56 km · Balaka 83 km · Ntcheu 88 km · Zomba 88 km · Liwonde 96 km · Ulongué 99 km · Moatize 102 km · Mulanje 115 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 Mwanza (-15.6026°, 34.5248°, elevation 654 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).