Nkhata Bay weather in October

In October, Nkhata Bay sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 76 mm of rain across 9.1 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% of the time in October, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Nkhata Bay's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nkhata Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
23°
11th coldest
Rainfall
76 mm
9.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:20 AM – 5:36 PM
Cloud cover
24%
3rd clearest
Wind
9 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
7.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Nkhata Bay is city in Malawi.

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical October day in Nkhata Bay reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 2°C warmer than September and on par with November.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12623
22723
32723
42723
52723
62723
72723
82723
92723
102723
112723
122723
132723
142723
152723
162723
172723
182723
192723
202723
212723
222723
232723
242723
252723
262823
272823
282823
292823
302823
312823

Nkhata Bay weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 2nd-warmest and 8th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 11%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1919
2919
3919
4919
5919
6919
7919
8919
9919
10919
11919
12919
139010
149010
159010
169010
179010
189010
199010
208911
218911
228911
238812
248713
258713
268713
278614
288614
298515
308416
318317

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Nkhata Bay gets around 76 mm of rain over 9.1 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 29% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
117
218
319
420
521
622
722
823
924
1025
1125
1226
1326
1427
1528
1628
1729
1830
1931
2032
2132
2233
2334
2435
2536
2637
2738
2839
2940
3041
3141

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the humid band about 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 35% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1137314
2127315
3117316
4107317
5107218
697219
787121
877122
977023
1067024
1166925
1256926
1356728
1456629
1556431
1646432
1746234
1846036
1945838
2035740
2135542
2235245
2335047
2424849
2524652
2624454
2714257
2814059
2913861
3013663
3113465

Wind in October

Winds average 9 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:29 AM to 5:14 AM, and sunset from 5:35 PM to 5:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.15:295:35
212.15:285:35
312.15:275:35
412.15:275:35
512.15:265:35
612.25:265:35
712.25:255:35
812.25:245:35
912.25:245:35
1012.25:235:35
1112.25:235:35
1212.25:225:35
1312.25:225:35
1412.25:215:36
1512.35:205:36
1612.35:205:36
1712.35:195:36
1812.35:195:36
1912.35:195:36
2012.35:185:36
2112.35:185:36
2212.35:175:37
2312.35:175:37
2412.35:165:37
2512.45:165:37
2612.45:165:37
2712.45:155:38
2812.45:155:38
2912.45:155:38
3012.45:145:38
3112.45:145:39

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 7.19 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — October's 7.19 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.1Intense
37.1Intense
47.1Intense
57.1Intense
67.1Intense
77.1Intense
87.1Intense
97.2Intense
107.2Intense
117.2Intense
127.2Intense
137.2Intense
147.2Intense
157.2Intense
167.2Intense
177.2Intense
187.2Intense
197.2Intense
207.2Intense
217.2Intense
227.2Intense
237.2Intense
247.2Intense
257.2Intense
267.2Intense
277.2Intense
287.2Intense
297.2Intense
307.2Intense
317.2Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Nkhata Bay

In seasonPeak

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

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 October a good time to visit Nkhata Bay?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Nkhata Bay in October

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

In October, Nkhata Bay sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Nkhata Bay in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October 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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where October 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
October 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).