Rumphi weather in January

In January, Rumphi sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 211 mm of rain across 27.3 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of January to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Rumphi's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rumphi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
6th warmest
Overnight low
17°
10th coldest
Rainfall
211 mm
27.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
5:36 AM – 6:11 PM
Cloud cover
90%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Rumphi is city in Rumphi District, 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 25°C through the month.

A typical January day in Rumphi reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12517
22517
32517
42517
52517
62517
72517
82517
92517
102517
112517
122517
132517
142517
152517
162517
172517
182517
192517
202517
212517
222517
232517
242517
252517
262517
272517
282517
292517
302517
312517

Rumphi weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 6th-warmest and 1st-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 93%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11288
21288
31189
41189
5991
6991
7892
8892
9793
10694
11694
12694
13694
14595
15694
16694
17694
18694
19694
20595
21595
22595
23595
24595
25595
26595
27595
28595
29595
30595
31595

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Rumphi gets around 211 mm of rain over 27.3 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 88% and peaks near 90% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
184
284
385
485
586
686
786
887
987
1088
1188
1288
1388
1489
1589
1689
1789
1890
1990
2090
2190
2289
2389
2489
2588
2688
2788
2887
2987
3087
3186

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1114850
2113860
3113860
4013870
5013870
6013870
7013870
8013870
9013870
10013870
11013870
12014851
13014851
14014851
15014851
16014851
17014851
18014842
19013852
20013852
21013852
22013852
23013852
24013852
25013852
26013852
27012862
28012871
29012871
30012871
31012871

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of January to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:29 AM to 5:43 AM, and sunset from 6:07 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:296:07
212.65:296:07
312.65:306:08
412.65:306:08
512.65:316:08
612.65:316:09
712.65:326:09
812.65:326:09
912.65:336:10
1012.65:336:10
1112.65:346:10
1212.65:346:10
1312.65:356:11
1412.65:356:11
1512.65:366:11
1612.65:366:11
1712.65:376:11
1812.65:376:12
1912.65:386:12
2012.65:386:12
2112.65:396:12
2212.55:396:12
2312.55:406:12
2412.55:406:12
2512.55:416:12
2612.55:416:12
2712.55:426:13
2812.55:426:13
2912.55:426:13
3012.55:436:13
3112.55:436:12

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.66 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

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 — January's 4.66 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Rumphi

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Rumphi?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Rumphi.

What to pack for Rumphi in January

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

In January, Rumphi sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Rumphi in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (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 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 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
January 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).