Mwanza weather in January

In January, Mwanza sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 352 mm of rain across 25.9 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 8% 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 Mwanza's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mwanza's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
20°
10th coldest
Rainfall
352 mm
25.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:26 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
81%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.2 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Mwanza is human settlement in 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 Mwanza 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 30°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12820
22820
32820
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

Mwanza 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°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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22377
32377
42278
52278
62179
72179
82080
91981
101882
111783
121684
131684
141585
151585
161585
171585
181486
191486
201486
211486
221486
231486
241585
251684
261684
271783
281981
291981
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mwanza gets around 352 mm of rain over 25.9 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 83% and peaks near 85% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
180
280
380
480
580
681
781
881
982
1082
1183
1283
1384
1484
1584
1684
1785
1885
1985
2085
2185
2285
2385
2485
2585
2685
2784
2884
2984
3083
3183

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 83% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 91% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
111818
211818
311818
411818
511818
611818
711818
811818
911818
1011818
1110828
1210828
1310828
149838
159838
169838
179838
188848
198848
208848
217858
227858
236868
246868
256859
266859
276859
286859
296859
306859
316859

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

Across January, 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
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
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 5:18 AM to 5:34 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:186:12
212.95:186:13
312.95:196:13
412.95:196:13
512.95:206:14
612.95:206:14
712.95:216:14
812.95:226:15
912.95:226:15
1012.95:236:15
1112.95:236:15
1212.95:246:16
1312.95:246:16
1412.85:256:16
1512.85:266:16
1612.85:266:16
1712.85:276:16
1812.85:276:16
1912.85:286:17
2012.85:286:17
2112.85:296:17
2212.85:306:17
2312.85:306:17
2412.85:316:17
2512.85:316:17
2612.75:326:17
2712.75:326:17
2812.75:336:17
2912.75:336:16
3012.75:346:16
3112.75:346:16

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 4.32 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 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
45.3Bright
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
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mwanza

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Mwanza?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mwanza for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mwanza in January

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

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

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mwanza 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 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 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 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
January 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).