Mwanza weather in May

In May, Mwanza sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 24 mm of rain across 5.9 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 60% 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 Mwanza's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mwanza's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
10th warmest
Overnight low
15°
4th coldest
Rainfall
24 mm
5.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
6:00 AM – 5:16 PM
Cloud cover
35%
4th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.0
out of 10

Mwanza is human settlement in 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 Mwanza reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 28°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
62515
72515
82515
92515
102515
112515
122515
132515
142515
152415
162415
172415
182415
192415
202415
212414
222414
232414
242414
252414
262414
272414
282414
292414
302414
312414

Mwanza 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°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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 20%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27723
37723
47822
57822
67822
77822
87921
97921
107921
117921
127921
137921
147921
157921
167921
178020
188020
198020
208119
218218
228218
238218
248218
258218
268218
278317
288317
298317
308218
318218

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mwanza gets around 24 mm of rain over 5.9 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 20% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
227
327
426
525
624
723
822
922
1021
1121
1220
1320
1419
1519
1618
1718
1817
1917
2017
2117
2217
2317
2417
2517
2617
2717
2817
2917
3018
3118

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 49% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11140418
21241407
31343386
41444366
51545355
61746334
71847323
82047303
92148292
102249282
112349262
122351251
132451241
142452231
152552221
162553211
172653201
182654200
192754190
202853190
212854180
222953180
232953180
243053170
253252160
263351160
273550150
283650140
293849130
304048120
314248110

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 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
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 5:56 AM to 6:05 AM, and sunset from 5:23 PM to 5:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.45:565:23
211.45:565:22
311.45:565:22
411.45:565:21
511.45:575:21
611.45:575:20
711.45:575:20
811.45:575:19
911.45:585:19
1011.35:585:18
1111.35:585:18
1211.35:595:18
1311.35:595:17
1411.35:595:17
1511.36:005:17
1611.36:005:16
1711.36:005:16
1811.36:015:16
1911.26:015:16
2011.26:015:15
2111.26:015:15
2211.26:025:15
2311.26:025:15
2411.26:025:15
2511.26:035:14
2611.26:035:14
2711.26:035:14
2811.26:045:14
2911.26:045:14
3011.26:045:14
3111.16:055:14

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.82 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 — May's 4.82 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mwanza

In seasonPeak

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

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 May a good time to visit Mwanza?

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

8.0
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 Mwanza for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Mwanza in May

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

In May, Mwanza sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Mwanza 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 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 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 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
May 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).