Zomba weather in March

In March, Zomba sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 121 mm of rain across 16.5 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in March, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Zomba's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zomba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
5th warmest
Overnight low
20°
8th coldest
Rainfall
121 mm
16.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
5:45 AM – 5:52 PM
Cloud cover
63%
9th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical March day in Zomba reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12820
22820
32820
42820
52820
62820
72820
82820
92820
102820
112820
122820
132820
142820
152820
162820
172820
182820
192820
202820
212820
222820
232820
242820
252820
262819
272819
282819
292819
302819
312819

Zomba weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33466
43565
53565
63664
73664
83664
93862
103961
113961
123961
134060
144159
154159
164159
174357
184357
194456
204555
214654
224753
234951
245149
255347
265446
275644
285743
295941
306040
316040

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Zomba gets around 121 mm of rain over 16.5 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 53% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
166
266
365
464
562
661
760
859
958
1057
1156
1255
1355
1455
1554
1654
1754
1853
1953
2052
2151
2250
2349
2448
2547
2646
2744
2843
2941
3039
3138

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the muggy band about 73% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 79% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
10117514
20117613
30117712
40127612
50127711
60137710
70147610
8015769
9115759
10116758
11116767
12117757
13117766
14117766
15117766
16218746
17218746
18218755
19218755
20319735
21319735
22320725
23420724
24421714
25423694
26424684
27525664
28527653
29529633
30531613
31633592

Wind in March

Winds average 6 km/h in March.

Across March, 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 March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 5:42 AM to 5:47 AM, and sunset from 6:02 PM to 5:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:426:02
212.35:426:01
312.35:436:00
412.35:436:00
512.35:435:59
612.35:435:59
712.25:445:58
812.25:445:57
912.25:445:57
1012.25:445:56
1112.25:445:55
1212.25:455:54
1312.25:455:54
1412.15:455:53
1512.15:455:52
1612.15:455:52
1712.15:455:51
1812.15:455:50
1912.15:465:49
2012.05:465:49
2112.05:465:48
2212.05:465:47
2312.05:465:46
2412.05:465:46
2512.05:465:45
2612.05:475:44
2711.95:475:43
2811.95:475:43
2911.95:475:42
3011.95:475:41
3111.95:475:40

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.39 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 — March's 5.39 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Zomba

In seasonPeak

None of Zomba's seasonal hazards are active in March. 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 March a good time to visit Zomba?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Zomba for sightseeing.

What to pack for Zomba in March

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

In March, Zomba sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 17 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Zomba in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 15 (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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March 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
March 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).