Nkhata Bay weather in April

In April, Nkhata Bay sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 320 mm of rain across 25.5 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 5th-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 43% of the time in April, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of April to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Nkhata Bay's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nkhata Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
8th warmest
Overnight low
21°
6th coldest
Rainfall
320 mm
25.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
5:51 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
50%
8th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Nkhata Bay is city in Malawi.

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

Temperature in April

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical April day in Nkhata Bay reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 1°C cooler than March and about 1°C warmer than May.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12522
22522
32522
42522
52522
62522
72522
82522
92522
102522
112522
122521
132521
142521
152521
162521
172521
182421
192421
202421
212421
222421
232421
242421
252421
262421
272421
282421
292421
302421

Nkhata Bay weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 23°41429.512.63.6
Feb26° / 23°3522612.43.7
Mar25° / 22°45229.912.13.7
Apr25° / 21°32025.511.74.7
May23° / 20°8214.111.56.7
Jun22° / 19°399.511.37.2
Jul21° / 18°308.611.47.4
Aug23° / 19°225.411.68.3
Sep25° / 21°163.511.98.6
Oct27° / 23°769.112.37.3
Nov28° / 23°22716.912.55.6
Dec26° / 22°43428.512.73.9

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 34%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24258
34357
44555
54654
64753
74852
85149
95347
105545
115842
126040
136337
146634
156832
167129
177327
187525
197723
207921
218119
228119
238218
248416
258416
268416
278416
288416
298515
308614

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

Nkhata Bay gets around 320 mm of rain over 25.5 wet days in April. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 84% and peaks near 95% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
195
295
395
494
594
693
793
892
992
1091
1190
1289
1388
1488
1587
1686
1785
1884
1982
2081
2180
2279
2377
2476
2574
2673
2771
2870
2968
3067

Humidity in April

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, April lands in the muggy band about 76% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 80% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1048511
2058510
305869
406859
507858
608857
709856
8010846
9011845
10012835
11013834
12014824
13015814
14016813
15017803
16018802
17019792
18020782
19022762
20023761
21125731
22127711
23128701
24130681
25232651
26234631
27236611
28338590
29340570
30442540

Wind in April

Winds average 12 km/h in April.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of April to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 5:50 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 5:45 PM to 5:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.95:505:45
211.95:505:44
311.95:505:43
411.95:505:43
511.95:505:42
611.85:505:41
711.85:505:41
811.85:505:40
911.85:515:40
1011.85:515:39
1111.85:515:38
1211.85:515:38
1311.85:515:37
1411.85:515:36
1511.85:515:36
1611.75:515:35
1711.75:515:35
1811.75:515:34
1911.75:515:34
2011.75:515:33
2111.75:515:33
2211.75:515:32
2311.75:515:32
2411.75:515:31
2511.75:515:31
2611.65:525:30
2711.65:525:30
2811.65:525:29
2911.65:525:29
3011.65:525:28

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 5.44 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.97 kWh/m² to a high of 7.19 kWh/m² in October across the year — April's 5.44 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
Planning a trip in April

Hazard calendar for Nkhata Bay

In seasonPeak

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

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.

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

Is April a good time to visit Nkhata Bay?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

April is a reasonable time to visit Nkhata Bay for sightseeing.

What to pack for Nkhata Bay in April

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

In April, Nkhata Bay sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 21°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Nkhata Bay in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 16UV 16Jun 17UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Nkhata Bay in April

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where April falls, not just the annual 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).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1926 µg/m³May 177 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar9Good
Apr8Good
May7Good
Jun8Good
Jul11Good
Aug20Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

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.

RumphiMzimbaTingiMbingaMatiriKigonseraLundazi

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.

3 km
263 m
16 km
809 m
80 km
1,549 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
April weather nearby: Mzuzu 33 km · Rumphi 81 km · Mzimba 82 km · Tingi 88 km · Mbinga 109 km · Matiri 116 km · Kigonsera 122 km · Lundazi 143 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 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).