Rumphi weather in December

In December, Rumphi sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 176 mm of rain across 22.4 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of December to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Rumphi's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rumphi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
4th warmest
Overnight low
17°
11th coldest
Rainfall
176 mm
22.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
5:21 AM – 6:00 PM
Cloud cover
76%
9th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Rumphi is city in Rumphi District, Malawi.

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical December day in Rumphi reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12817
22817
32817
42817
52817
62717
72717
82717
92717
102717
112717
122717
132717
142717
152617
162617
172617
182617
192617
202617
212617
222617
232617
242617
252617
262617
272617
282617
292617
302517
312517

Rumphi weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 17°21127.312.63.9
Feb25° / 17°17223.112.44.1
Mar25° / 16°1762612.14.2
Apr25° / 15°8715.911.85.9
May25° / 13°153.811.58.2
Jun23° / 11°10.111.48.9
Jul23° / 10°10.311.48.8
Aug25° / 12°10.211.69.1
Sep27° / 14°10.311.98.7
Oct29° / 16°71.812.27.2
Nov29° / 17°588.412.55.8
Dec26° / 17°17622.412.64.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24060
33862
43763
53664
63565
73565
83367
93367
103268
113169
122971
132872
142674
152674
162476
172476
182377
192377
202179
212179
222179
231981
241981
251981
261684
271684
281684
291585
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Rumphi gets around 176 mm of rain over 22.4 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 72% and peaks near 83% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
151
253
355
456
558
659
761
863
965
1067
1169
1270
1372
1473
1575
1676
1777
1878
1979
2079
2180
2280
2381
2481
2581
2682
2782
2882
2983
3083
3183

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 70% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1163648
2153649
3143551
4123553
5113455
6103357
793358
883260
983161
1073063
1162965
1262767
1352669
1452570
1552471
1642274
1742175
1842076
1942076
2041977
2131879
2231879
2331780
2431780
2531681
2621682
2721682
2821583
2911584
3011584
3111485

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of December to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:16 AM to 5:29 AM, and sunset from 5:52 PM to 6:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:165:52
212.65:175:53
312.65:175:53
412.65:175:54
512.65:175:54
612.65:185:55
712.65:185:55
812.65:185:56
912.65:195:56
1012.65:195:57
1112.65:195:57
1212.65:205:58
1312.65:205:58
1412.65:215:59
1512.65:215:59
1612.65:216:00
1712.65:226:00
1812.65:226:01
1912.65:236:01
2012.65:236:02
2112.65:246:02
2212.65:246:03
2312.65:256:03
2412.65:256:04
2512.65:266:04
2612.65:266:05
2712.65:276:05
2812.65:276:06
2912.65:286:06
3012.65:286:06
3112.65:296:07

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.66 kWh/m² to a high of 7.16 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.24 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.7Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.4Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Rumphi

In seasonPeak

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

Rumphi sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Rumphi'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 December a good time to visit Rumphi?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Rumphi for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rumphi in December

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

In December, Rumphi sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Rumphi 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 Rumphi peaks around February 15 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 15 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 15UV 17Jun 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Rumphi 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 Rumphi is worst in October — around 57 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.1× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateOct 1553 µg/m³Dec 2210 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb12Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May12Good
Jun16Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct57Unhealthy
Nov24Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Rumphi?

Rumphi sits at 11.0°S, 33.9°E, 1,084 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Mzuzu, 53 km away.

MzuzuNkhata BayMzimbaMatiriKarongaMbingaTingiKigonsera

Topography around Rumphi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rumphi has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 581 m around an average of 1,145 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,188 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,119 m.

The land around Rumphi is covered by cropland (46%) and shrubs (26%) within 3 km, cropland (43%), shrubs (29%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and trees (29%) and shrubs (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
581 m
16 km
1,188 m
80 km
2,119 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Mzuzu 53 km · Nkhata Bay 81 km · Mzimba 102 km · Matiri 118 km · Karonga 121 km · Mbinga 127 km · Tingi 132 km · Kigonsera 132 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 Rumphi (-11.0186°, 33.8575°, elevation 1,084 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).