Climate averages 1991–2020
Lilongwe weather
in May.
A warm, very dry month: the 9th warmest and the 5th driest of the year. Meets the pleasant-weather rule
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
May is a warm month in Lilongwe: daytime highs average 24.8°C and nights cool to about 13.5°C. By daytime temperature it is the 9th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 3.5 mm of rain on fewer than one day, which makes May a very dry month (the 5th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 29 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Chipata (128 km away). In May its highs average 25.0°C, about as warm as Lilongwe, with 4.7 mm of rain.
Among the 4 cities listed in Malawi, Lilongwe ranks 1st of 4 for the warmest May highs and 1st of 4 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 4 cities is 23.4°C; Lilongwe is 1.4°C warmer than that mean.
From May to June, average highs fall by 1.7°C to 23.1°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 3.5 mm to under 1 mm.
The annual picture
May in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Lilongwe climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25.6°C18.1°C | 18.1°C | 208 | 25.0 | 12.813 h |
| February | 25.5°C17.8°C | 17.8°C | 159 | 20.4 | 12.613 h |
| March | 25.3°C17.4°C | 17.4°C | 113 | 17.2 | 12.212 h |
| April | 25.2°C15.7°C | 15.7°C | 23 | 5.3 | 11.812 h |
| May, selected | 24.8°C13.5°C | 13.5°C | 3.5 | 0.7 | 11.511 h |
| June | 23.1°C11.4°C | 11.4°C | 0.7 | 0.1 | 11.311 h |
| July | 22.6°C10.8°C | 10.8°C | 1.0 | 0.2 | 11.411 h |
| August | 24.7°C12.2°C | 12.2°C | 0.6 | 0.1 | 11.612 h |
| September | 27.4°C14.9°C | 14.9°C | 1.3 | 0.3 | 12.012 h |
| October | 29.2°C17.6°C | 17.6°C | 9.9 | 1.7 | 12.412 h |
| November | 29.6°C18.9°C | 18.9°C | 39 | 7.3 | 12.713 h |
| December | 27.2°C18.6°C | 18.6°C | 142 | 19.2 | 12.913 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
May in nearby cities
- Chipata in MayZambia · 128 kmHigh 25.0°C · Low 14.8°C · 4.7 mm rain
- Lichinga in MayMozambique · 173 kmHigh 22.7°C · Low 12.2°C · 8.9 mm rain
- Mandimba in MayMozambique · 205 kmHigh 25.6°C · Low 15.8°C · 6.4 mm rain
- Zomba in MayMalawi · 228 kmHigh 24.4°C · Low 14.8°C · 4.8 mm rain
- Blantyre in MayMalawi · 241 kmHigh 23.1°C · Low 13.6°C · 14 mm rain
- Tete in MayMozambique · 244 kmHigh 29.9°C · Low 19.7°C · 3.3 mm rain
- Mzuzu in MayMalawi · 279 kmHigh 21.4°C · Low 13.7°C · 50 mm rain
- Cuamba in MayMozambique · 310 kmHigh 27.3°C · Low 17.0°C · 4.0 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Lilongwe) is explained once on the Lilongwe year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.