Nkhotakota weather in December

In December, Nkhotakota sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 315 mm of rain across 25.7 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 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Nkhotakota's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nkhotakota's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
23°
10th coldest
Rainfall
315 mm
25.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:16 AM – 6:02 PM
Cloud cover
73%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Nkhotakota is human settlement 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 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Nkhotakota reaches about 28°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 26°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12924
22924
32924
42824
52824
62824
72824
82824
92824
102824
112823
122823
132823
142823
152823
162823
172823
182823
192823
202823
212823
222823
232823
242823
252723
262723
272723
282723
292723
302723
312723

Nkhotakota 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
Jan27° / 23°37929.312.73.5
Feb27° / 23°32024.812.43.7
Mar27° / 23°25225.712.14.1
Apr27° / 22°9113.811.76.4
May25° / 21°92.411.48.6
Jun24° / 19°20.511.39.3
Jul23° / 18°20.611.39.2
Aug25° / 19°10.111.69.3
Sep27° / 21°10.211.98.6
Oct29° / 24°172.912.37.0
Nov29° / 24°8712.112.65.2
Dec28° / 23°31525.712.73.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% 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 69%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
34951
44951
54753
64654
74456
84258
93961
103862
113664
123466
133169
143070
152773
162674
172476
182377
192377
202179
212278
222278
232179
242179
252278
262278
272179
282080
292080
302080
311981

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Nkhotakota gets around 315 mm of rain over 25.7 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 91% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
165
267
368
470
571
673
775
876
978
1079
1180
1282
1383
1484
1585
1686
1787
1887
1988
2088
2188
2289
2389
2489
2589
2690
2790
2890
2991
3091
3191

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 76% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
134750
224553
324454
424256
514059
613861
713663
813465
903268
1003070
1102872
1202674
1302476
1402377
1502179
1602080
1701981
1801783
1901684
2001585
2101486
2201486
2301387
2401288
2501189
2601189
2701090
2801090
2901090
300991
310991

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 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 5:11 AM to 5:23 AM, and sunset from 5:54 PM to 6:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:115:54
212.75:125:54
312.75:125:55
412.75:125:55
512.75:125:56
612.75:135:56
712.75:135:57
812.75:135:58
912.75:145:58
1012.75:145:59
1112.75:145:59
1212.75:156:00
1312.85:156:00
1412.85:156:01
1512.85:166:01
1612.85:166:02
1712.85:176:02
1812.85:176:03
1912.85:186:03
2012.85:186:04
2112.85:186:04
2212.85:196:05
2312.85:196:05
2412.85:206:06
2512.85:206:06
2612.85:216:06
2712.85:216:07
2812.85:226:07
2912.85:226:08
3012.85:236:08
3112.85:236:09

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.83 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.05 kWh/m² to a high of 7.21 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.83 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.1Intense
106.0Intense
116.0Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Nkhotakota

In seasonPeak

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

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

Nkhotakota's monsoon runs December–March, 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 Nkhotakota?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nkhotakota.

What to pack for Nkhotakota in December

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

In December, Nkhotakota sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Nkhotakota in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December 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 Nkhotakota peaks around January 22 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 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 highExtremeJan 22UV 16Jun 18UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Nkhotakota 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 Nkhotakota is worst in September — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1729 µg/m³Dec 207 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar9Good
Apr8Good
May8Good
Jun9Good
Jul13Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep30Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Nkhotakota?

Nkhotakota sits at 12.9°S, 34.3°E, 497 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Kasungu, 89 km away.

KasunguMponelaSalimaLichingaLilongweMzimbaLundaziMonkey Bay

Topography around Nkhotakota

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nkhotakota has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m around an average of 489 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 189 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,230 m.

The land around Nkhotakota is covered by water (34%) within 3 km, water (49%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and water (41%) and cropland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
59 m
16 km
189 m
80 km
1,230 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Kasungu 89 km · Mponela 90 km · Salima 96 km · Lichinga 111 km · Lilongwe 128 km · Mzimba 137 km · Lundazi 140 km · Monkey Bay 145 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 Nkhotakota (-12.9274°, 34.2961°, elevation 497 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).