Climate averages 1991–2020
Mzuzu weather
by month.
See how the year changes. November has the highest average daily maximum; September has the lowest average monthly rainfall.
Pleasant-weather months by our simple rule: JuneJulyAugustSeptember
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
Across the year Mzuzu averages a daytime high of 23.2°C and a nighttime low of 15.0°C, with about 1,429 mm of rain on roughly 192 days. November is the warmest month (average high 26.2°C) and July the coolest (19.4°C). January is the wettest month with 300 mm; September is the driest with 12 mm.
Months with pleasant weather by a simple rule (average high between 18°C and 29°C, average low of at least 5°C and at most 8 rain days): June, July, August and September. This looks at temperature and rain only, not humidity, wind, sea temperature or crowds.
The annual picture
A year in Mzuzu
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
Mzuzu climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24.5°C17.4°C | 17.4°C | 300 | 28.6 | 12.713 h |
| February | 24.4°C17.3°C | 17.3°C | 255 | 25.1 | 12.512 h |
| March | 23.6°C17.2°C | 17.2°C | 223 | 29.1 | 12.212 h |
| April | 22.4°C15.9°C | 15.9°C | 140 | 24.2 | 11.912 h |
| May | 21.4°C13.7°C | 13.7°C | 50 | 13.5 | 11.612 h |
| June | 19.9°C11.3°C | 11.3°C | 22 | 7.6 | 11.511 h |
| July | 19.4°C10.7°C | 10.7°C | 19 | 6.8 | 11.512 h |
| August | 21.3°C12.1°C | 12.1°C | 16 | 5.2 | 11.712 h |
| September | 24.1°C14.3°C | 14.3°C | 12 | 3.6 | 12.012 h |
| October | 25.8°C16.2°C | 16.2°C | 43 | 8.6 | 12.312 h |
| November | 26.2°C17.2°C | 17.2°C | 104 | 14.4 | 12.613 h |
| December | 24.7°C17.3°C | 17.3°C | 246 | 25.8 | 12.813 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
Nearby cities
- SongeaTanzania · 198 kmHigh 25.6°C · Low 16.3°C · 1,341 mm rain a year
- LichingaMozambique · 244 kmHigh 23.9°C · Low 14.3°C · 1,120 mm rain a year
- NjombeTanzania · 249 kmHigh 20.4°C · Low 11.3°C · 1,115 mm rain a year
- KatumbaTanzania · 252 kmHigh 23.6°C · Low 15.4°C · 2,083 mm rain a year
- NakondeZambia · 274 kmHigh 24.8°C · Low 14.6°C · 1,264 mm rain a year
- TundumaTanzania · 277 kmHigh 23.9°C · Low 13.7°C · 1,264 mm rain a year
- LilongweMalawi · 279 kmHigh 25.9°C · Low 15.6°C · 701 mm rain a year
- ChipataZambia · 283 kmHigh 26.3°C · Low 16.6°C · 1,046 mm rain a year
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 limitsWhat do the high and low temperatures mean?
We average the daily maximum and daily minimum for each calendar month over 1991–2020. They are not record extremes, a forecast range or temperatures at a fixed time of day.
How is a rain day counted?
A local calendar day (standard time, UTC+2, no daylight saving) with at least 1 mm of total precipitation counts as one rain day. We count these for each year and month, then average across 30 years. The average does not predict which days will be wet.
Where do the numbers come from?
ERA5-Land (temperature) and ERA5 (precipitation) reanalysis from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, read from the Open-Meteo open-data archive. Temperature comes from the 0.1° model cell at -11.50°, 34.00° (4 km from the city centre), adjusted down by 0.5°C for the difference between the city's elevation (1,275 m) and the cell's (1,200 m). Rain comes from the 0.25° cell at -11.50°, 34.00°. These are model estimates, not weather-station readings; coast, hills and city streets can differ.
Does this page show sunshine, humidity or sea temperature?
No. The data used here contain air temperature and precipitation only. Daylight hours are calculated from the city's latitude (sunrise to sunset), not measured sunshine.