Mzuzu weather in December

In December, Mzuzu sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 246 mm of rain across 25.9 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Mzuzu's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mzuzu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
18°
11th coldest
Rainfall
246 mm
25.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:20 AM – 6:00 PM
Cloud cover
74%
9th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Mzuzu is city in Malawi.

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mzuzu 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 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12618
22618
32618
42618
52618
62618
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152618
162518
172518
182518
192518
202518
212518
222518
232518
242518
252518
262518
272518
282518
292518
302518
312518

Mzuzu weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 18°30028.512.63.7
Feb25° / 18°25124.812.43.9
Mar25° / 18°22329.112.13.8
Apr24° / 16°14024.211.84.7
May22° / 14°5013.511.56.5
Jun21° / 12°227.611.37.1
Jul20° / 11°196.811.47.3
Aug22° / 12°165.211.68.1
Sep25° / 15°123.611.98.5
Oct26° / 17°438.612.37.4
Nov27° / 18°10414.412.56.0
Dec26° / 18°24625.912.74.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24357
34357
44159
54159
63961
73763
83763
93565
103466
113367
123268
133070
143070
152872
162773
172773
182674
192575
202476
212476
222377
232377
242278
252179
262179
271981
281981
291882
301783
311585

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mzuzu gets around 246 mm of rain over 25.9 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 83% and peaks near 90% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
169
270
372
473
574
676
777
878
979
1080
1182
1282
1383
1484
1585
1686
1786
1887
1987
2087
2188
2288
2388
2488
2588
2689
2789
2889
2990
3090
3190

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 59% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1185437
2075439
3075241
4065143
5054945
6054847
7044649
8044551
9034453
10034354
11034156
12024058
13023860
14023761
15023662
16023464
17023365
18023266
19023167
20023068
21023068
22022969
23022969
24022969
25012970
26012970
27013069
28013069
29013069
30003070
31003169

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 5:15 AM to 5:27 AM, and sunset from 5:52 PM to 6:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:155:52
212.65:155:53
312.65:155:53
412.65:165:54
512.65:165:54
612.65:165:55
712.65:175:56
812.75:175:56
912.75:175:57
1012.75:185:57
1112.75:185:58
1212.75:185:58
1312.75:195:59
1412.75:195:59
1512.75:206:00
1612.75:206:00
1712.75:206:01
1812.75:216:01
1912.75:216:02
2012.75:226:02
2112.75:226:03
2212.75:236:03
2312.75:236:04
2412.75:246:04
2512.75:246:04
2612.75:256:05
2712.75:256:05
2812.75:266:06
2912.75:266:06
3012.75:276:07
3112.75:276:07

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.95 kWh/m² to a high of 7.17 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.48 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Bright
65.9Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mzuzu

In seasonPeak

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

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

Mzuzu's monsoon runs December–April, 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 Mzuzu?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mzuzu for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mzuzu in December

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

In December, Mzuzu sees daytime highs around 26°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 Mzuzu 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 Mzuzu peaks around February 15 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 9 (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 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Mzuzu 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 Mzuzu is worst in October — around 57 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.1× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateOct 1553 µg/m³Dec 2210 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb12Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May12Good
Jun16Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct57Unhealthy
Nov24Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mzuzu?

Mzuzu sits at 11.5°S, 34.0°E, 1,275 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Nkhata Bay, 33 km away.

RumphiMzimbaTingiMbingaMatiriLundaziKigonsera

Topography around Mzuzu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mzuzu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 193 m around an average of 1,267 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 972 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,043 m.

The land around Mzuzu is covered by artificial surfaces (36%) and shrubs (29%) within 3 km, trees (42%) and shrubs (31%) within 16 km, and water (34%), trees (23%) and shrubs (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
193 m
16 km
972 m
80 km
2,043 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Nkhata Bay 33 km · Rumphi 53 km · Mzimba 67 km · Tingi 112 km · Mbinga 124 km · Matiri 125 km · Lundazi 130 km · Kigonsera 134 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 Mzuzu (-11.4656°, 34.0207°, elevation 1,275 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).