Zomba in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Zomba sees average daytime highs around 24°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 6 mm of rain over about 1 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 25°C in early June to 27°C by late August. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Zomba's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Zomba's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 24°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 14°C
- Rainfall
- 6 mm
- 1 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 km/h
- Travel score
- 8.8
- best season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Zomba in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 25°C in early June to 27°C by late August.
A typical winter day in Zomba reaches about 24°C and drops to 14°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is August, the coolest July.
Zomba weather by month
How the three winter months (June, July and August) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28° / 21° | 274 | 25.7 | 12.8 | 4.0 |
| Feb | 28° / 20° | 167 | 19.1 | 12.5 | 4.6 |
| Mar | 28° / 20° | 121 | 16.5 | 12.1 | 5.4 |
| Apr | 27° / 18° | 26 | 5.3 | 11.7 | 7.3 |
| May | 26° / 16° | 5 | 1.2 | 11.3 | 8.5 |
| Jun | 24° / 14° | 2 | 0.4 | 11.1 | 8.9 |
| Jul | 24° / 13° | 2 | 0.6 | 11.2 | 8.8 |
| Aug | 26° / 15° | 2 | 0.4 | 11.5 | 8.8 |
| Sep | 28° / 17° | 2 | 0.6 | 11.9 | 7.7 |
| Oct | 30° / 19° | 16 | 2.7 | 12.3 | 5.9 |
| Nov | 31° / 21° | 62 | 9.3 | 12.7 | 4.7 |
| Dec | 29° / 21° | 180 | 21.5 | 12.9 | 4.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Zomba gets around 6 mm of rain over 1 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 7 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min in early June to 11 h 42 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Zomba
None of Zomba's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Zomba's monsoon runs December–February, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Zomba?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter 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 Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Zomba sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.
UV index in Zomba in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 15 | Extreme |
| Apr | 12 | Extreme |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
Air quality in Zomba in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 21 | 27 | 31 | 37 | 51 | 55 | 59 | 62 | 65 | 43 | 27 | 23 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | Moderate |
| Feb | 27 | Moderate |
| Mar | 31 | Moderate |
| Apr | 37 | Poor |
| May | 51 | Poor |
| Jun | 55 | Poor |
| Jul | 59 | Unhealthy |
| Aug | 62 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 65 | Unhealthy |
| Oct | 43 | Poor |
| Nov | 27 | Moderate |
| Dec | 23 | Moderate |
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.
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.
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
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.