Mzimba weather in January

In January, Mzimba sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 199 mm of rain across 25.8 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of January to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mzimba's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mzimba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
8th warmest
Overnight low
18°
9th coldest
Rainfall
199 mm
25.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
5:36 AM – 6:14 PM
Cloud cover
91%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.69 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mzimba reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12518
22518
32518
42518
52518
62518
72518
82518
92518
102518
112518
122518
132518
142518
152518
162518
172518
182518
192518
202518
212518
222518
232518
242518
252518
262518
272518
282518
292518
302518
312518

Mzimba weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 8th-warmest and 1st-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 94%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11189
21189
31090
4991
5892
6892
7892
8694
9694
10694
11595
12595
13595
14595
15595
16595
17595
18595
19595
20694
21694
22595
23595
24595
25595
26595
27595
28595
29595
30595
31694

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mzimba gets around 199 mm of rain over 25.8 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 86% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
176
277
377
478
579
679
780
881
981
1082
1182
1283
1383
1484
1584
1684
1785
1885
1985
2085
2185
2285
2385
2485
2585
2685
2786
2886
2985
3085
3185

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 87% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 10% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
16886
26877
36877
45887
55878
65878
74888
84879
94879
103889
113889
123889
1338710
1428810
1528810
1628810
1728810
1828711
1928711
2028711
2118811
2218712
2318712
2418712
2528612
2628612
2728612
2828612
2928612
3028612
3138512

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
29calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of January to 12 h 30 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 5:28 AM to 5:43 AM, and sunset from 6:09 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:286:09
212.75:296:10
312.75:296:10
412.75:306:10
512.75:306:11
612.75:316:11
712.75:316:11
812.75:326:12
912.75:326:12
1012.75:336:12
1112.75:336:13
1212.65:346:13
1312.65:346:13
1412.65:356:13
1512.65:366:14
1612.65:366:14
1712.65:376:14
1812.65:376:14
1912.65:386:14
2012.65:386:14
2112.65:396:14
2212.65:396:15
2312.65:406:15
2412.65:406:15
2512.65:406:15
2612.65:416:15
2712.65:416:15
2812.55:426:15
2912.55:426:15
3012.55:436:15
3112.55:436:15

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.69 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

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 — January's 4.69 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mzimba

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Mzimba?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mzimba for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mzimba in January

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

In January, Mzimba sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mzimba in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (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 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 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
January 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).