Climate and average weather in Nkhata Bay
In Nkhata Bay, the summers are humid, warm, wet, and mostly clear and the winters are mild and clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Nkhata Bay typically varies from 18°C to 28°C, and is rarely below 16°C or above 30°C. November is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Nkhata Bay for warm-weather activities is from late May to late October.
- Hottest
- Nov
- 28°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 18°
- Wettest
- Mar
- 452 mm
- Driest
- Sep
- 16 mm
- Rain / yr
- 2465 mm
- 207 wet days
- Daylight
- 11.3–12.7 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 547 m
- 11.6°S
- Clearest
- Sep
- 19% cloud
Nkhata Bay is city in Malawi.
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Nkhata Bay weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late May to late October.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Nkhata Bay, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Nkhata Bay stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is November, with an average high of 28°C and low of 23°C; the coolest is July, with an average low of 18°C and high of 21°C.
Days typically run about 3°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 26 |
| Avg low (°C) | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 23 |
| Feb | 26 | 23 |
| Mar | 25 | 22 |
| Apr | 25 | 21 |
| May | 23 | 20 |
| Jun | 22 | 19 |
| Jul | 21 | 18 |
| Aug | 23 | 19 |
| Sep | 25 | 21 |
| Oct | 27 | 23 |
| Nov | 28 | 23 |
| Dec | 26 | 22 |
Average hourly temperature in Nkhata Bay
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on November afternoons, near 28°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 18°C.
Nkhata Bay weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26° / 23° | 414 | 29.5 | 12.6 | 3.6 |
| Feb | 26° / 23° | 352 | 26 | 12.4 | 3.7 |
| Mar | 25° / 22° | 452 | 29.9 | 12.1 | 3.7 |
| Apr | 25° / 21° | 320 | 25.5 | 11.7 | 4.7 |
| May | 23° / 20° | 82 | 14.1 | 11.5 | 6.7 |
| Jun | 22° / 19° | 39 | 9.5 | 11.3 | 7.2 |
| Jul | 21° / 18° | 30 | 8.6 | 11.4 | 7.4 |
| Aug | 23° / 19° | 22 | 5.4 | 11.6 | 8.3 |
| Sep | 25° / 21° | 16 | 3.5 | 11.9 | 8.6 |
| Oct | 27° / 23° | 76 | 9.1 | 12.3 | 7.3 |
| Nov | 28° / 23° | 227 | 16.9 | 12.5 | 5.6 |
| Dec | 26° / 22° | 434 | 28.5 | 12.7 | 3.9 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Nkhata Bay gets about 2465 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.6 months, from around Nov 18 to May 6, peaking in March at about 97% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Sep 17.
March is the wettest month by volume, with 452 mm over about 30 wet days; September is the driest, with 16 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 95 | 93 | 96 | 84 | 47 | 33 | 27 | 17 | 13 | 29 | 57 | 91 |
| Rain days | 30 | 26 | 30 | 26 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 29 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 95 | 30 |
| Feb | 93 | 26 |
| Mar | 96 | 30 |
| Apr | 84 | 26 |
| May | 47 | 14 |
| Jun | 33 | 10 |
| Jul | 27 | 9 |
| Aug | 17 | 5 |
| Sep | 13 | 4 |
| Oct | 29 | 9 |
| Nov | 57 | 17 |
| Dec | 91 | 29 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Nkhata Bay collects about 2465 mm of rain across 207 wet days — roughly 205 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. March is the wettest month with 452 mm, while September is the driest at just 16 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 53% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 414 | 352 | 452 | 320 | 82 | 39 | 30 | 22 | 16 | 76 | 227 | 434 |
| Rain days | 30 | 26 | 30 | 26 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 29 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 414 | 30 |
| Feb | 352 | 26 |
| Mar | 452 | 30 |
| Apr | 320 | 26 |
| May | 82 | 14 |
| Jun | 39 | 10 |
| Jul | 30 | 9 |
| Aug | 22 | 5 |
| Sep | 16 | 4 |
| Oct | 76 | 9 |
| Nov | 227 | 17 |
| Dec | 434 | 29 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Nkhata Bay, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around April 14 and lasts for 7.2 months, ending around November 18. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 94% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around November 19 and lasts for 4.8 months, ending around April 13. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 88% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 12 | 14 | 27 | 66 | 86 | 91 | 92 | 94 | 94 | 89 | 67 | 33 |
| Cloudier (%) | 88 | 86 | 73 | 34 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 33 | 67 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | 88 |
| Feb | 14 | 86 |
| Mar | 27 | 73 |
| Apr | 66 | 34 |
| May | 86 | 14 |
| Jun | 91 | 9 |
| Jul | 92 | 8 |
| Aug | 94 | 6 |
| Sep | 94 | 6 |
| Oct | 89 | 11 |
| Nov | 67 | 33 |
| Dec | 33 | 67 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around January 1, brings about 12 h 42 min of light; the shortest, around June 6, only 11 h 18 min — a swing of roughly 1 h 24 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 12.6 | 12.4 | 12.1 | 11.7 | 11.5 | 11.3 | 11.4 | 11.6 | 11.9 | 12.3 | 12.5 | 12.7 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:34 | 5:46 | 5:50 | 5:51 | 5:55 | 6:03 | 6:07 | 5:59 | 5:39 | 5:20 | 5:12 | 5:19 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:10 | 6:09 | 5:55 | 5:35 | 5:23 | 5:23 | 5:30 | 5:35 | 5:35 | 5:36 | 5:44 | 5:59 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12.6 | 5:34 | 6:10 |
| Feb | 12.4 | 5:46 | 6:09 |
| Mar | 12.1 | 5:50 | 5:55 |
| Apr | 11.7 | 5:51 | 5:35 |
| May | 11.5 | 5:55 | 5:23 |
| Jun | 11.3 | 6:03 | 5:23 |
| Jul | 11.4 | 6:07 | 5:30 |
| Aug | 11.6 | 5:59 | 5:35 |
| Sep | 11.9 | 5:39 | 5:35 |
| Oct | 12.3 | 5:20 | 5:36 |
| Nov | 12.5 | 5:12 | 5:44 |
| Dec | 12.7 | 5:19 | 5:59 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Nkhata Bay averages about 16 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 1 and 27 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.9 months, from around Apr 21 to Nov 15. The sunniest month is August, with roughly 26 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is January, down near 1 sunny days — about 94% fewer than the August peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 1 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 16 | 6 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 1 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 4 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 13 | Mixed |
| May | 21 | Bright |
| Jun | 24 | Brilliant |
| Jul | 26 | Brilliant |
| Aug | 27 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 26 | Brilliant |
| Oct | 24 | Brilliant |
| Nov | 16 | Bright |
| Dec | 6 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Nkhata Bay, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 8.0 months, from around September 23 to May 22. The muggiest month is January, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 100% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around May 23 to September 22, and July is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 85% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 60 | 71 | 64 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 56 | 31 | 15 | 30 | 60 | 59 | 19 | 2 |
| Muggy (%) | 71 | 68 | 80 | 75 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 36 | 78 | 82 |
| Oppressive (%) | 29 | 32 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 29 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 32 |
| Mar | 0 | 0 | 1 | 80 | 19 |
| Apr | 0 | 1 | 20 | 75 | 4 |
| May | 1 | 17 | 56 | 27 | 0 |
| Jun | 7 | 60 | 31 | 2 | 0 |
| Jul | 14 | 71 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 5 | 64 | 30 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 34 | 60 | 6 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 5 | 59 | 36 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 | 19 | 78 | 3 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 | 2 | 82 | 16 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Nkhata Bay is typically calm, near 9 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 4.9 months, from around Mar 30 to Aug 25. The windiest month is July, averaging about 12 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Aug 26 to Mar 29, with December the calmest month at about 7 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 7 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | light breeze | light breeze | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | calm |
| Feb | 7 | calm |
| Mar | 8 | calm |
| Apr | 11 | calm |
| May | 12 | calm |
| Jun | 13 | light breeze |
| Jul | 12 | light breeze |
| Aug | 10 | calm |
| Sep | 9 | calm |
| Oct | 9 | calm |
| Nov | 8 | calm |
| Dec | 7 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Nkhata Bay
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Nkhata Bay sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.
Nkhata Bay's monsoon runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Nkhata Bay
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Nkhata Bay throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early June, Nkhata Bay is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Nkhata Bay for general outdoor tourist activities is from late May to late October, with a peak score in the first week of September.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 7.4 | 8.3 | 8.6 | 7.3 | 5.6 | 3.9 |
| Rating | fair | fair | fair | fair | good | good | good | ideal | ideal | good | good | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.6 | fair |
| Feb | 3.7 | fair |
| Mar | 3.7 | fair |
| Apr | 4.7 | fair |
| May | 6.7 | good |
| Jun | 7.2 | good |
| Jul | 7.4 | good |
| Aug | 8.3 | ideal |
| Sep | 8.6 | ideal |
| Oct | 7.3 | good |
| Nov | 5.6 | good |
| Dec | 3.9 | fair |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Nkhata Bay for hot-weather activities is from mid August to mid November, with a peak score in the last week of September.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Nkhata Bay, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around November (highs near 28°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 21°C), pack rain gear and sun protection.
In November, Nkhata Bay sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 17 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Nkhata Bay by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nkhata Bay peaks around February 16 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 9 (very high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 16 | Extreme |
| Mar | 15 | Extreme |
| Apr | 13 | Extreme |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 12 | Extreme |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Nkhata Bay
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in February the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 6.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 8.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 8 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 8 | 6 |
| May | 7 | 4.5 |
| Jun | 7 | 4.5 |
| Jul | 7 | 4.5 |
| Aug | 7.5 | 5 |
| Sep | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 8 | 6 |
| Nov | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 8.5 | 6.5 |
Air quality in Nkhata Bay by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Nkhata Bay is worst in September — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.7× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 20 | 26 | 23 | 13 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Good |
| Feb | 10 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 8 | Good |
| May | 7 | Good |
| Jun | 8 | Good |
| Jul | 11 | Good |
| Aug | 20 | Moderate |
| Sep | 26 | Moderate |
| Oct | 23 | Moderate |
| Nov | 13 | Moderate |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
Growing season
Nkhata Bay is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Nkhata Bay banks about 4,734 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around November.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 439 | 395 | 424 | 388 | 370 | 308 | 297 | 342 | 400 | 466 | 461 | 444 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 439 |
| Feb | 395 |
| Mar | 424 |
| Apr | 388 |
| May | 370 |
| Jun | 308 |
| Jul | 297 |
| Aug | 342 |
| Sep | 400 |
| Oct | 466 |
| Nov | 461 |
| Dec | 444 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Nkhata Bay receives about 5.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.9 and 7.2 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 4.0 months, from around Aug 13 to Dec 12. The brightest month is October, averaging about 7.2 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 5.0 kWh/m² — roughly 31% less than the October peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 5.8 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 5.7 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.2 | Bright |
| Feb | 5.3 | Bright |
| Mar | 5.3 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.4 | Bright |
| May | 5.2 | Bright |
| Jun | 5.0 | Bright |
| Jul | 5.1 | Bright |
| Aug | 5.8 | Bright |
| Sep | 6.8 | Intense |
| Oct | 7.2 | Intense |
| Nov | 6.8 | Intense |
| Dec | 5.7 | Bright |
Where is Nkhata Bay?
Nkhata Bay sits at 11.6°S, 34.3°E, 547 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Mzuzu, 33 km away.
Topography around Nkhata Bay
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Nkhata Bay.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Nkhata Bay has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 263 m around an average of 560 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 809 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,549 m.
The land around Nkhata Bay is covered by trees (37%), shrubs (35%) and water (23%) within 3 km, water (47%) and trees (26%) within 16 km, and water (52%) and trees (20%) within 80 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
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 Nkhata Bay (-11.6066°, 34.2907°, elevation 547 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).