Nsanje weather in May

In May, Nsanje sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 12 mm of rain across 3.4 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 29°C in the first days to 28°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Nsanje's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nsanje's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
10th warmest
Overnight low
18°
4th coldest
Rainfall
12 mm
3.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
5:59 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
36%
4th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Nsanje is place in Southern Region, Malawi.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 29°C in the first days to 28°C by the end.

A typical May day in Nsanje reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13019
23019
33019
42919
52919
62919
72919
82919
92919
102918
112918
122918
132918
142918
152918
162918
172918
182918
192918
202818
212818
222818
232818
242818
252818
262817
272817
282817
292817
302817
312817

How May really feels in Nsanje

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Nsanje weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 10th-warmest and 8th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27822
37822
47822
57921
67822
77822
87822
97822
107822
117822
127822
137723
147723
157723
167723
177723
187822
197822
207921
217921
228020
238020
248020
258119
268119
278119
288119
298119
308119
318119

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Nsanje gets around 12 mm of rain over 3.4 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 11% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
114
213
313
413
513
612
712
812
912
1012
1112
1212
1312
1412
1512
1612
1712
1812
1911
2011
2111
2211
2311
2411
2510
2610
2710
2810
299
309
319

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 51% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 23% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
10846424
20947394
311049373
411150353
511251342
611451322
711552302
811653291
911753281
1021952261
1122052251
1222152241
1322153231
1422252231
1522353220
1622453210
1722454200
1822554190
1922554190
2022654180
2122754170
2232852170
2332853160
2432953150
2533152140
2643251130
2743351120
2843550110
2953649100
305384890
315394780

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:54 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 5:18 PM to 5:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.45:545:18
211.45:545:18
311.45:555:17
411.45:555:17
511.35:555:16
611.35:565:16
711.35:565:15
811.35:565:15
911.35:575:14
1011.35:575:14
1111.35:575:13
1211.35:585:13
1311.25:585:13
1411.25:585:12
1511.25:595:12
1611.25:595:12
1711.25:595:11
1811.26:005:11
1911.26:005:11
2011.26:005:10
2111.26:015:10
2211.16:015:10
2311.16:015:10
2411.16:025:09
2511.16:025:09
2611.16:025:09
2711.16:035:09
2811.16:035:09
2911.16:035:09
3011.16:045:09
3111.16:045:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.54 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 — May's 4.54 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Nsanje

In seasonPeak

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

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 May a good time to visit Nsanje?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
8.3
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Nsanje for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Nsanje in May

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

In May, Nsanje sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Nsanje in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (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 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 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
May 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).