Nkhotakota weather in May

In May, Nkhotakota sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 9 mm of rain across 2.4 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-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 81% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Nkhotakota's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nkhotakota's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
9th warmest
Overnight low
21°
4th coldest
Rainfall
9 mm
2.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
5:57 AM – 5:21 PM
Cloud cover
26%
6th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.6
out of 10

Nkhotakota is human settlement in Malawi.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical May day in Nkhotakota reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12622
22622
32622
42621
52621
62621
72621
82621
92621
102621
112621
122621
132621
142621
152521
162521
172521
182521
192521
202521
212521
222521
232520
242520
252520
262520
272520
282520
292520
302520
312520

Nkhotakota weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 8th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 8%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1946
2937
3937
4928
5928
6928
7928
8928
9928
10928
11928
12919
13919
14919
15919
16919
17919
18919
19919
20919
21919
22928
23928
24928
25928
26937
27937
28937
29955
30955
31955

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Nkhotakota gets around 9 mm of rain over 2.4 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 8% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
119
217
316
415
514
613
712
811
911
1010
119
129
138
148
157
167
177
186
196
206
215
225
235
245
255
264
274
284
294
304
313

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 54% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 32% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
10240535
20342505
30344484
40346474
50448453
60550433
70552412
80653392
90753382
100855361
110955351
1201056331
1301156321
1401158301
1501258291
1601358281
1701459270
1801559260
1901659250
2001759240
2101858240
2201958230
2312056230
2412156220
2512256210
2612455200
2712555190
2822753180
2922953160
3023152150
3123351140

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:54 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 5:26 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:545:26
211.55:545:26
311.55:545:26
411.55:545:25
511.55:545:25
611.55:555:24
711.55:555:24
811.55:555:24
911.55:555:23
1011.55:555:23
1111.45:565:23
1211.45:565:22
1311.45:565:22
1411.45:565:22
1511.45:575:21
1611.45:575:21
1711.45:575:21
1811.45:575:21
1911.45:585:21
2011.45:585:20
2111.45:585:20
2211.45:595:20
2311.45:595:20
2411.35:595:20
2511.35:595:20
2611.36:005:20
2711.36:005:19
2811.36:005:19
2911.36:015:19
3011.36:015:19
3111.36:015:19

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.41 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 — May's 5.41 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Nkhotakota

In seasonPeak

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

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 May a good time to visit Nkhotakota?

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

8.6
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Nkhotakota in May

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

In May, Nkhotakota sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 21°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Nkhotakota in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks 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 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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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