Nsanje weather in December

In December, Nsanje sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 160 mm of rain across 17.4 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of December to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Nsanje's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nsanje's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
23°
12th coldest
Rainfall
160 mm
17.4 wet days
Daylight
13 hours
5:05 AM – 6:05 PM
Cloud cover
66%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
out of 10

Nsanje is place in Southern Region, 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 33°C through the month.

A typical December day in Nsanje reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 37°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13423
23423
33423
43423
53323
63323
73323
83323
93323
103323
113323
123323
133323
143323
153323
163323
173323
183324
193324
203324
213324
223324
233324
243324
253324
263324
273324
283224
293224
303224
313224

How December really feels in Nsanje

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Nsanje weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 23°2352112.93.1
Feb31° / 23°15516.712.63.4
Mar31° / 23°11115.412.14.0
Apr30° / 21°368.211.65.4
May29° / 18°123.411.26.9
Jun27° / 16°92.5118.0
Jul27° / 16°113.711.17.9
Aug29° / 17°62.111.46.8
Sep33° / 19°81.611.94.8
Oct34° / 22°183.412.43.4
Nov35° / 23°678.512.82.6
Dec33° / 23°16017.4132.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25248
35149
45050
54951
64753
74753
84456
94357
104258
114060
124060
133862
143862
153763
163664
173664
183664
193565
203565
213466
223466
233565
243565
253466
263466
273466
283466
293367
303268
313367

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Nsanje gets around 160 mm of rain over 17.4 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 56% and peaks near 65% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
242
343
445
546
648
750
851
953
1054
1156
1257
1358
1459
1559
1660
1760
1860
1960
2060
2160
2260
2360
2460
2561
2661
2762
2863
2964
3064
3165

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 57% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 90% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
131937391
231936401
331836412
431735432
531635452
631534462
721333483
821232513
921131533
1021030544
1121029554
122928565
131827595
141726606
151725616
161624627
171623628
181523629
1905226310
2005216410
2105216311
2205206312
2305196412
2404196413
2504196413
2604196413
2704186513
2804186513
2904186513
3004186414
3104186414

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 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of December to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:01 AM to 5:12 AM, and sunset from 5:57 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:015:57
212.95:015:57
313.05:015:58
413.05:015:59
513.05:015:59
613.05:026:00
713.05:026:00
813.05:026:01
913.05:026:01
1013.05:036:02
1113.05:036:03
1213.05:036:03
1313.05:046:04
1413.05:046:04
1513.05:056:05
1613.05:056:05
1713.05:056:06
1813.05:066:06
1913.05:066:07
2013.05:076:07
2113.05:076:08
2213.05:086:08
2313.05:086:09
2413.05:096:09
2513.05:096:10
2613.05:106:10
2713.05:106:10
2813.05:116:11
2913.05:116:11
3013.05:126:12
3113.05:126:12

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.12 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.65 kWh/m² in November across the year — December's 6.12 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Nsanje

In seasonPeak

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

Nsanje's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Nsanje?

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

2.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nsanje.

What to pack for Nsanje in December

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

In December, Nsanje sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 17 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Nsanje in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nsanje peaks around January 17 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 7 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 17UV 14Jun 21UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May8Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct12Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Nsanje 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 Nsanje is worst in September — around 58 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 8.2× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodSep 1356 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May11Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug45Poor
Sep58Unhealthy
Oct28Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Nsanje?

Nsanje sits at 16.9°S, 35.3°E, 55 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Morrumbala, 57 km away.

MorrumbalaMulanjeMilangeBlantyreMwanzaZomba

Topography around Nsanje

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nsanje has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 66 m around an average of 50 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 919 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,979 m.

The land around Nsanje is covered by cropland (29%), trees (23%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, shrubs (32%), trees (28%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and shrubs (30%), trees (29%) and grassland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
66 m
16 km
919 m
80 km
1,979 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Morrumbala 57 km · Caia 100 km · Mulanje 102 km · Milange 106 km · Blantyre 129 km · Mwanza 166 km · Marromeu 169 km · Zomba 171 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 Nsanje (-16.92°, 35.262°, elevation 55 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. 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).