Nsanje weather in January

In January, Nsanje sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 235 mm of rain across 21 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of January to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Nsanje's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nsanje's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
5th warmest
Overnight low
23°
12th coldest
Rainfall
235 mm
21 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:21 AM – 6:15 PM
Cloud cover
73%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Nsanje is place in Southern Region, Malawi.

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month.

A typical January day in Nsanje reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13224
23224
33224
43224
53224
63224
73224
83223
93223
103223
113223
123223
133223
143223
153223
163223
173123
183123
193123
203123
213123
223123
233123
243123
253123
263123
273123
283123
293123
303123
313123

How January really feels in Nsanje

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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 January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Nsanje weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 5th-warmest and 1st-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43367
53466
63466
73367
83367
93268
103268
113169
123169
133268
143169
153169
163169
173268
183268
193268
203268
213268
223268
233268
243367
253367
263466
273565
283565
293763
303763
313763

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Nsanje gets around 235 mm of rain over 21 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 67% and peaks near 69% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
165
265
366
466
566
666
766
866
967
1067
1167
1267
1368
1468
1568
1668
1768
1869
1969
2069
2169
2269
2369
2468
2568
2668
2767
2867
2967
3066
3166

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 65% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 98% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
14186414
24196215
34196215
43206215
53206215
63216115
73216016
83216016
93216016
103215917
113215917
122206117
132206018
142206018
152196217
161196317
171186417
181186516
191176616
201166716
211166815
221156915
231156915
241156915
250147214
260147214
270147313
280137413
290137413
300137413
310137413

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours at the start of January to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:12 AM to 5:29 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:126:12
213.05:136:12
313.05:136:13
413.05:146:13
513.05:156:13
613.05:156:14
713.05:166:14
813.05:166:14
913.05:176:14
1013.05:176:14
1112.95:186:15
1212.95:196:15
1312.95:196:15
1412.95:206:15
1512.95:206:15
1612.95:216:15
1712.95:226:16
1812.95:226:16
1912.95:236:16
2012.95:236:16
2112.95:246:16
2212.95:246:16
2312.85:256:16
2412.85:266:16
2512.85:266:16
2612.85:276:16
2712.85:276:16
2812.85:286:16
2912.85:286:15
3012.85:296:15
3112.85:296:15

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.66 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 — January's 5.66 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Nsanje

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Nsanje?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nsanje.

What to pack for Nsanje in January

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

In January, Nsanje sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Nsanje in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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 January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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