Rumphi weather in May

In May, Rumphi sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 15 mm of rain across 3.8 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 7th-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 51% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of May to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Rumphi's 6th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rumphi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
9th warmest
Overnight low
13°
4th coldest
Rainfall
15 mm
3.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
5:56 AM – 5:26 PM
Cloud cover
42%
6th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.17 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Rumphi is city in Rumphi District, Malawi.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical May day in Rumphi reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 12°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, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12514
22514
32514
42514
52514
62514
72514
82514
92514
102513
112513
122513
132513
142513
152513
162513
172513
182513
192513
202513
212513
222513
232413
242413
252413
262413
272412
282412
292412
302412
312412

Rumphi weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 7th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 23%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27426
37426
47525
57525
67525
77525
87624
97624
107624
117723
127723
137723
147723
157723
167723
177624
187624
197525
207624
217624
227723
237723
247723
257822
267822
277921
288020
298020
308119
318218

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Rumphi gets around 15 mm of rain over 3.8 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 12% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
223
322
421
520
618
717
816
915
1015
1114
1213
1312
1412
1512
1611
1711
1811
1910
2010
2110
229
238
248
257
267
276
285
295
304
313

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 55% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1155827
2175825
3185923
4205921
5216019
6235918
7246016
8266014
9276013
10296011
1131609
1232608
1334597
1435605
1536595
1637594
1738593
1840573
1941572
2042562
2143552
2245532
2346531
2448511
2550491
2651481
2753461
2856431
2958411
3061381
3163361

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of May to 11 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:53 AM to 6:00 AM, and sunset from 5:30 PM to 5:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.65:535:30
211.65:535:30
311.65:545:29
411.65:545:29
511.65:545:29
611.65:545:28
711.65:545:28
811.65:545:28
911.55:555:27
1011.55:555:27
1111.55:555:27
1211.55:555:27
1311.55:555:26
1411.55:565:26
1511.55:565:26
1611.55:565:26
1711.55:565:25
1811.55:565:25
1911.55:575:25
2011.55:575:25
2111.55:575:25
2211.55:575:25
2311.45:585:25
2411.45:585:25
2511.45:585:24
2611.45:585:24
2711.45:595:24
2811.45:595:24
2911.45:595:24
3011.45:595:24
3111.46:005:24

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.17 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 — May's 5.17 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Rumphi

In seasonPeak

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

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 May a good time to visit Rumphi?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
7.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Rumphi for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Rumphi in May

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

In May, Rumphi sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Rumphi in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (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 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 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
May 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).