Zomba weather in May

In May, Zomba sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 5 mm of rain across 1.2 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Zomba's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zomba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
9th warmest
Overnight low
16°
4th coldest
Rainfall
5 mm
1.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
5:56 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
36%
4th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.5
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical May day in Zomba reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°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 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12717
22717
32717
42716
52716
62716
72616
82616
92616
102616
112616
122616
132616
142616
152616
162615
172615
182615
192615
202615
212615
222615
232615
242615
252515
262515
272515
282515
292515
302515
312514

Zomba weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 8th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27723
37624
47624
57723
67723
77723
87822
97822
107822
117822
127921
137921
147921
157921
167921
177921
188020
198020
208020
218119
228119
238218
248218
258218
268218
278218
288218
298218
308218
318218

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Zomba gets around 5 mm of rain over 1.2 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 4% and peaks near 7% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
17
26
36
46
56
66
75
85
95
105
114
124
134
144
154
164
173
183
193
203
213
223
233
242
252
262
272
282
292
302
312

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 51% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1843409
2846388
3948367
41049346
51151326
61352305
71453294
81654273
91754263
101855252
111955242
122055232
132156221
142256211
152355211
162456200
172555200
182654200
192754190
202853190
212952190
223051190
233150190
243250180
253349170
263548170
273748160
283947150
294146130
304345120
314544110

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 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
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:52 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 5:20 PM to 5:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:525:20
211.45:525:19
311.45:535:19
411.45:535:18
511.45:535:18
611.45:545:17
711.45:545:17
811.45:545:16
911.45:545:16
1011.35:555:16
1111.35:555:15
1211.35:555:15
1311.35:555:15
1411.35:565:14
1511.35:565:14
1611.35:565:14
1711.35:575:13
1811.35:575:13
1911.35:575:13
2011.25:585:13
2111.25:585:12
2211.25:585:12
2311.25:595:12
2411.25:595:12
2511.25:595:12
2611.26:005:11
2711.26:005:11
2811.26:005:11
2911.26:015:11
3011.26:015:11
3111.26:015:11

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.75 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 — May's 4.75 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Zomba

In seasonPeak

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

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

8.5
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
8.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May 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 May

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

In May, Zomba sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Zomba in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (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 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 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
May 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).