Nkhotakota weather in March

In March, Nkhotakota sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 252 mm of rain across 25.7 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 20% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Nkhotakota's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nkhotakota's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
23°
7th coldest
Rainfall
252 mm
25.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
5:50 AM – 5:55 PM
Cloud cover
69%
9th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Nkhotakota is human settlement in Malawi.

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

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical March day in Nkhotakota reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and about 1°C warmer than April.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12723
22723
32723
42723
52723
62723
72723
82723
92723
102723
112723
122723
132723
142723
152723
162723
172723
182723
192723
202723
212723
222723
232723
242723
252723
262723
272723
282723
292723
302723
312723

Nkhotakota weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22179
32179
42377
52377
62476
72674
82674
92872
102872
113169
123169
133268
143367
153367
163466
173664
183664
193763
203862
213961
224060
234258
244456
254555
264852
274951
285149
295347
305446
315644

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Nkhotakota gets around 252 mm of rain over 25.7 wet days in March. 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 89% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
189
288
388
487
587
686
786
885
985
1085
1185
1284
1384
1484
1584
1684
1784
1883
1983
2083
2182
2282
2381
2480
2579
2678
2777
2876
2975
3074
3173

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the oppressive band about 73% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
101882
201882
301981
401981
511980
612079
712079
812178
912178
1012178
1112277
1202278
1302278
1402377
1502377
1602377
1702476
1802575
1902575
2002674
2102773
2212970
2313069
2413168
2513366
2613465
2713663
2823860
2923959
3024157
3134354

Wind in March

Winds average 9 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 5:48 AM to 5:51 AM, and sunset from 6:04 PM to 5:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:486:04
212.35:486:04
312.25:486:03
412.25:486:03
512.25:496:02
612.25:496:01
712.25:496:01
812.25:496:00
912.25:496:00
1012.25:495:59
1112.25:495:58
1212.15:495:58
1312.15:505:57
1412.15:505:56
1512.15:505:56
1612.15:505:55
1712.15:505:54
1812.15:505:54
1912.15:505:53
2012.05:505:52
2112.05:505:52
2212.05:505:51
2312.05:505:50
2412.05:505:50
2512.05:505:49
2612.05:505:48
2712.05:505:48
2811.95:515:47
2911.95:515:46
3011.95:515:46
3111.95:515:45

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.62 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 — March's 5.62 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Nkhotakota

In seasonPeak

In March, 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 March a good time to visit Nkhotakota?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Nkhotakota for sightseeing.

What to pack for Nkhotakota in March

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

In March, Nkhotakota sees daytime highs around 27°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 March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 15 (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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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