Mzimba weather in December

In December, Mzimba sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 147 mm of rain across 20.5 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of December to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mzimba's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mzimba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
4th warmest
Overnight low
18°
11th coldest
Rainfall
147 mm
20.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:21 AM – 6:03 PM
Cloud cover
77%
9th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Mzimba is human settlement in Mzimba District, Malawi.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical December day in Mzimba reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12819
22819
32819
42719
52719
62719
72719
82719
92719
102719
112719
122719
132719
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272518
282518
292518
302518
312518

Mzimba weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 18°19925.812.64.1
Feb25° / 18°1642312.44.2
Mar25° / 18°1222012.15.1
Apr25° / 17°275.811.77.6
May24° / 15°41.211.58.9
Jun23° / 13°00.111.39.1
Jul22° / 12°00.111.49.0
Aug24° / 14°10.111.69.3
Sep27° / 16°10.111.98.9
Oct28° / 18°71.512.37.6
Nov29° / 19°428.212.56.1
Dec26° / 18°14720.512.74.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% 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 75%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24456
34456
44159
54159
63862
73763
83664
93466
103268
112971
122773
132674
142575
152278
162179
171981
181981
191882
201783
211783
221684
231684
241684
251684
261585
271585
281486
291387
301387
311387

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mzimba gets around 147 mm of rain over 20.5 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 66% and peaks near 76% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
246
347
449
550
652
754
856
958
1060
1162
1264
1366
1468
1570
1671
1772
1873
1974
2075
2175
2275
2375
2475
2576
2676
2776
2876
2976
3076
3176

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 78% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11034560
2933580
3832600
4730630
5629650
6627670
7526690
8424711
9422731
10421741
11320761
12318781
13317791
14316801
15314821
16313831
17212842
18212842
19211852
20210862
21210862
2229863
2329863
2429863
2528873
2618874
2718874
2817884
2917875
3007885
3106886

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612calm
712calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of December to 12 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:16 AM to 5:28 AM, and sunset from 5:55 PM to 6:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:165:55
212.75:165:55
312.75:165:56
412.75:175:56
512.75:175:57
612.75:175:57
712.75:185:58
812.75:185:58
912.75:185:59
1012.75:196:00
1112.75:196:00
1212.75:196:01
1312.75:206:01
1412.75:206:02
1512.75:216:02
1612.75:216:03
1712.75:216:03
1812.75:226:04
1912.75:226:04
2012.75:236:05
2112.75:236:05
2212.75:246:06
2312.75:246:06
2412.75:256:06
2512.75:256:07
2612.75:266:07
2712.75:266:08
2812.75:276:08
2912.75:276:09
3012.75:286:09
3112.75:286:09

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.69 kWh/m² to a high of 6.95 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.25 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.4Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mzimba

In seasonPeak

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

Mzimba sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Mzimba's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Mzimba?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mzimba for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mzimba in December

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

In December, Mzimba sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mzimba 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 Mzimba peaks around February 15 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 10 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 15UV 16Jun 16UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Mzimba 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 Mzimba is worst in October — around 61 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.6× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateOct 1756 µg/m³Dec 2310 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb12Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct61Unhealthy
Nov27Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mzimba?

Mzimba sits at 11.9°S, 33.6°E, 1,339 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Lundazi, 63 km away.

LundaziMzuzuNkhata BayRumphiKasunguNkhotakotaTingiMponela

Topography around Mzimba

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mzimba has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 117 m around an average of 1,332 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 518 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,467 m.

The land around Mzimba is covered by cropland (50%) within 3 km, shrubs (40%) and cropland (33%) within 16 km, and cropland (31%), trees (26%) and shrubs (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
117 m
16 km
518 m
80 km
1,467 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Lundazi 63 km · Mzuzu 67 km · Nkhata Bay 82 km · Rumphi 102 km · Kasungu 127 km · Nkhotakota 137 km · Tingi 170 km · Mponela 182 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 Mzimba (-11.9°, 33.6°, elevation 1,339 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).