Mzimba weather in May

In May, Mzimba sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 4 mm of rain across 1.2 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-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 64% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of May to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Mzimba's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mzimba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
9th warmest
Overnight low
15°
4th coldest
Rainfall
4 mm
1.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
5:58 AM – 5:25 PM
Cloud cover
34%
6th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.9
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 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 Mzimba 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 22°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12516
22516
32516
42516
52515
62515
72515
82515
92515
102515
112515
122515
132515
142515
152515
162415
172415
182415
192415
202415
212414
222414
232414
242414
252414
262414
272414
282414
292414
302414
312414

Mzimba weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 8th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 14%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18515
28515
38515
48614
58614
68614
78614
88614
98614
108614
118614
128614
138515
148515
158515
168416
178416
188416
198416
208416
218416
228416
238416
248515
258614
268713
278713
288812
298812
309010
319010

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mzimba gets around 4 mm of rain over 1.2 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 4% and peaks near 5% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
15
25
35
45
54
64
74
84
94
104
114
124
134
144
154
164
174
184
194
204
214
224
234
243
253
263
273
282
292
302
311

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 59% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1295219
2315217
3345115
4365113
5394912
6424810
744479
847468
949447
1051436
1153425
1255414
1357403
1459392
1560382
1662371
1763361
1864351
1965341
2066331
2167321
2268311
2369301
2470291
2571281
2672271
2775250
2877230
2979210
3081190
3183170

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of May to 11 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:55 AM to 6:02 AM, and sunset from 5:30 PM to 5:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.65:555:30
211.65:555:30
311.65:565:29
411.65:565:29
511.55:565:29
611.55:565:28
711.55:565:28
811.55:565:28
911.55:575:27
1011.55:575:27
1111.55:575:27
1211.55:575:26
1311.55:585:26
1411.55:585:26
1511.55:585:26
1611.55:585:25
1711.45:585:25
1811.45:595:25
1911.45:595:25
2011.45:595:25
2111.45:595:25
2211.46:005:24
2311.46:005:24
2411.46:005:24
2511.46:015:24
2611.46:015:24
2711.46:015:24
2811.46:015:24
2911.46:025:24
3011.46:025:24
3111.46:025:24

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.94 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 — May's 4.94 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mzimba

In seasonPeak

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

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 May a good time to visit Mzimba?

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

8.9
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Mzimba for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Mzimba in May

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

In May, Mzimba sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Mzimba in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (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 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 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
May 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).