Climate averages 1991–2020
Zomba 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 Zomba: daytime highs average 24.4°C and nights cool to about 14.8°C. By daytime temperature it is the 9th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 4.8 mm of rain on roughly 1 day, which makes May a very dry month (the 5th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 25 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Blantyre (55 km away). In May its highs average 23.1°C, 1.3°C cooler than Zomba, with 14 mm of rain.
Among the 4 cities listed in Malawi, Zomba ranks 2nd of 4 for the warmest May highs and 2nd of 4 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 4 cities is 23.4°C; Zomba is 1.0°C warmer than that mean.
From May to June, average highs fall by 1.9°C to 22.6°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 4.8 mm to 2.1 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
Zomba climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26.4°C19.8°C | 19.8°C | 274 | 25.6 | 12.913 h |
| February | 26.4°C19.5°C | 19.5°C | 169 | 19.3 | 12.613 h |
| March | 26.3°C19.0°C | 19.0°C | 121 | 16.5 | 12.212 h |
| April | 25.6°C17.3°C | 17.3°C | 26 | 5.3 | 11.812 h |
| May, selected | 24.4°C14.8°C | 14.8°C | 4.8 | 1.2 | 11.411 h |
| June | 22.6°C12.9°C | 12.9°C | 2.1 | 0.4 | 11.211 h |
| July | 22.0°C12.3°C | 12.3°C | 2.3 | 0.6 | 11.311 h |
| August | 24.3°C13.3°C | 13.3°C | 1.5 | 0.4 | 11.612 h |
| September | 27.2°C15.6°C | 15.6°C | 2.4 | 0.6 | 12.012 h |
| October | 29.1°C18.2°C | 18.2°C | 16 | 2.7 | 12.412 h |
| November | 29.5°C19.9°C | 19.9°C | 62 | 9.3 | 12.813 h |
| December | 27.5°C20.0°C | 20.0°C | 179 | 21.5 | 13.013 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
- Blantyre in MayMalawi · 55 kmHigh 23.1°C · Low 13.6°C · 14 mm rain
- Mandimba in MayMozambique · 120 kmHigh 25.6°C · Low 15.8°C · 6.4 mm rain
- Cuamba in MayMozambique · 146 kmHigh 27.3°C · Low 17.0°C · 4.0 mm rain
- Gurúè in MayMozambique · 178 kmHigh 24.4°C · Low 16.0°C · 28 mm rain
- Tete in MayMozambique · 204 kmHigh 29.9°C · Low 19.7°C · 3.3 mm rain
- Lilongwe in MayMalawi · 228 kmHigh 24.8°C · Low 13.5°C · 3.5 mm rain
- Lichinga in MayMozambique · 231 kmHigh 22.7°C · Low 12.2°C · 8.9 mm rain
- Mocuba in MayMozambique · 240 kmHigh 27.6°C · Low 18.1°C · 19 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 Zomba) is explained once on the Zomba year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.