Zomba weather in August

In August, Zomba sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 2 mm of rain across 0.4 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 27°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of August to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Zomba's 2nd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zomba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
10th warmest
Overnight low
15°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
2 mm
0.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
5:58 AM – 5:27 PM
Cloud cover
32%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.8
out of 10

Zomba is city in the southern parts of Malawi.

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 27°C by the end.

A typical August day in Zomba reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°C warmer than July and about 3°C cooler than September.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12414
22514
32514
42514
52514
62514
72514
82514
92514
102514
112514
122514
132514
142614
152614
162615
172615
182615
192615
202615
212615
222615
232615
242615
252615
262715
272715
282715
292715
302715
312715

Zomba weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 10th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 21°27425.712.84.0
Feb28° / 20°16719.112.54.6
Mar28° / 20°12116.512.15.4
Apr27° / 18°265.311.77.3
May26° / 16°51.211.38.5
Jun24° / 14°20.411.18.9
Jul24° / 13°20.611.28.8
Aug26° / 15°20.411.58.8
Sep28° / 17°20.611.97.7
Oct30° / 19°162.712.35.9
Nov31° / 21°629.312.74.7
Dec29° / 21°18021.512.94.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18119
28119
38119
48119
58119
68119
78218
88218
98218
108317
118317
128317
138317
148416
158416
168416
178515
188416
198515
208515
218515
228614
238614
248614
258614
268713
278812
288812
298911
308911
318911

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Zomba gets around 2 mm of rain over 0.4 wet days in August, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
32
42
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 77% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
181181
281181
381181
481181
581181
681190
781190
881190
981190
1081190
1180200
1279210
1379210
1478220
1577230
1677230
1775241
1875241
1974251
2074251
2174251
2274251
2374251
2474251
2574251
2674251
2774251
2874251
2974251
3074251
3174251

Wind in August

Winds average 7 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min at the start of August to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:06 AM to 5:48 AM, and sunset from 5:24 PM to 5:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:065:24
211.36:055:24
311.36:055:24
411.36:045:25
511.36:045:25
611.46:045:25
711.46:035:25
811.46:035:26
911.46:025:26
1011.46:025:26
1111.46:015:26
1211.46:015:27
1311.46:005:27
1411.56:005:27
1511.55:595:27
1611.55:585:27
1711.55:585:27
1811.55:575:28
1911.55:575:28
2011.55:565:28
2111.55:555:28
2211.65:555:28
2311.65:545:28
2411.65:535:28
2511.65:535:29
2611.65:525:29
2711.65:515:29
2811.65:505:29
2911.75:505:29
3011.75:495:29
3111.75:485:29

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.22 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in October across the year — August's 5.13 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Zomba

In seasonPeak

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

Zomba's monsoon runs December–February, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Zomba?

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

8.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
8.2
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Zomba in August

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

In August, Zomba sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Zomba in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August 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 Zomba peaks around January 17 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 17UV 15Jun 20UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Zomba in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Zomba is worst in September — around 65 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.1× the cleanest month (January, 21 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateSep 1064 µg/m³Jan 1321 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan21Moderate
Feb27Moderate
Mar31Moderate
Apr37Poor
May51Poor
Jun55Poor
Jul59Unhealthy
Aug62Unhealthy
Sep65Unhealthy
Oct43Poor
Nov27Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Zomba?

Zomba sits at 15.4°S, 35.3°E, 949 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Liwonde, 37 km away.

BlantyreBalakaMulanjeMwanzaMilangeNtcheuMangochi

Topography around Zomba

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zomba has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 841 m around an average of 1,026 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,495 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,804 m.

The land around Zomba is covered by trees (45%) and shrubs (20%) within 3 km, cropland (57%) and shrubs (22%) within 16 km, and cropland (48%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
841 m
16 km
1,495 m
80 km
2,804 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
August weather nearby: Liwonde 37 km · Blantyre 55 km · Balaka 60 km · Mulanje 74 km · Mwanza 88 km · Milange 93 km · Ntcheu 97 km · Mangochi 101 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 Zomba (-15.386°, 35.3188°, elevation 949 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).