Nkhotakota weather in October

In October, Nkhotakota sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 17 mm of rain across 2.9 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 84% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Nkhotakota's 5th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nkhotakota's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
24°
11th coldest
Rainfall
17 mm
2.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:19 AM – 5:37 PM
Cloud cover
22%
5th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
7.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.0
out of 10

Nkhotakota is human settlement 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 29°C through the month.

A typical October day in Nkhotakota reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 2°C warmer than September and on par with November.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12823
22823
32823
42823
52923
62923
72923
82923
92923
102923
112923
122923
132923
142924
152924
162924
172924
182924
192924
202924
212924
222924
232924
242924
252924
262924
272924
283024
293024
303024
313024

Nkhotakota weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 84% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 8%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1946
2946
3946
4946
5946
6937
7937
8937
9937
10937
11937
12928
13928
14928
15928
16928
17928
18928
19928
20919
21919
22919
23919
24919
259010
269010
279010
289010
298911
308911
318812

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Nkhotakota gets around 17 mm of rain over 2.9 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 10% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
13
24
34
45
55
66
76
87
97
108
118
128
139
149
159
169
1710
1810
1910
2010
2110
2211
2311
2412
2513
2614
2715
2816
2917
3018
3120

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 50% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 46% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
11073170
21071190
3970210
4968230
5867250
6865270
7863290
8762310
9761320
10660340
11658360
12557380
13556390
14455410
15354430
16352450
17350470
18249490
19247510
20246520
21244540
22142570
23140581
24138601
25135631
26133651
27131662
28129682
29127702
30125713
31123733

Wind in October

Winds average 11 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 11 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
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:28 AM to 5:13 AM, and sunset from 5:35 PM to 5:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.15:285:35
212.15:285:35
312.15:275:35
412.25:265:35
512.25:265:35
612.25:255:36
712.25:245:36
812.25:245:36
912.25:235:36
1012.25:225:36
1112.25:225:36
1212.25:215:36
1312.35:215:36
1412.35:205:36
1512.35:205:37
1612.35:195:37
1712.35:195:37
1812.35:185:37
1912.35:175:37
2012.35:175:37
2112.45:175:38
2212.45:165:38
2312.45:165:38
2412.45:155:38
2512.45:155:38
2612.45:145:39
2712.45:145:39
2812.45:145:39
2912.45:135:40
3012.45:135:40
3112.55:135:40

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 7.21 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — October's 7.21 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.0Intense
27.1Intense
37.1Intense
47.1Intense
57.1Intense
67.1Intense
77.1Intense
87.1Intense
97.1Intense
107.2Intense
117.2Intense
127.2Intense
137.2Intense
147.2Intense
157.2Intense
167.2Intense
177.2Intense
187.2Intense
197.3Intense
207.3Intense
217.3Intense
227.3Intense
237.3Intense
247.3Intense
257.3Intense
267.3Intense
277.3Intense
287.3Intense
297.3Intense
307.3Intense
317.3Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Nkhotakota

In seasonPeak

None of Nkhotakota's seasonal hazards are active in October. 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 October a good time to visit Nkhotakota?

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

7.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
8.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

October 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 October

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

In October, Nkhotakota sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Nkhotakota in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 12 (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 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 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
October 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).