Nkhata Bay in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Nkhata Bay sees average daytime highs around 22°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 91 mm of rain over about 24 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 22°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels comfortable.
Winter is Nkhata Bay's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Nkhata Bay has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Nkhata Bay's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 22°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 19°C
- Rainfall
- 91 mm
- 24 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.6
- best season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Nkhata Bay in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 22°C.
A typical winter day in Nkhata Bay reaches about 22°C and drops to 19°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is August, the coolest July.
Nkhata Bay weather by month
How the three winter months (June, July and August) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| 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 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Nkhata Bay gets around 91 mm of rain over 24 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 12 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min in early June to 11 h 48 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Nkhata Bay
None of Nkhata Bay's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
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.
Is winter a good time to visit Nkhata Bay?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit Nkhata Bay for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Nkhata Bay in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Nkhata Bay sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 19°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 24 days see rain.
UV index in Nkhata Bay in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 9 (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.
| 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 |
Air quality in Nkhata Bay in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| 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 |
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.