Weather in Malawi is very predictable—there are only three seasons, and the weather within the seasons doesn’t vary very much. The rainy season lasts from December until about March—it’s the time when ground is broken, crops are planted, and grow. Towards the end of the rainy season, a “hungry season,” sometimes occur (April/May) when the old crop has been exhausted and the new crop isn’t yet ready eat. During the cool/cold and dry season (July and August) some crops continue to grow. The hot and dry season (from October to November) ends with the coming of the first rains—the signal for farmers to clear their fields and get ready for the next planting.
Once the rainy season begins in earnest, it rains almost everyday. In fact, in single day in the rainy season as much as 15 cm of water can fall on Malawi. Flash flooding occurs in the southern regions from time to time, and transportation along the roads in all areas of the country becomes more difficult and unreliable.
During the cold season it might rain just two or three times, and when it does rain, the showers don’t last for long. Temperatures slowly dip to between 16C (60F) in the low valleys to 1C (33F) on the upper plateau.
Just a month or so prior to the beginning of the rainy season, Malawi’s temperatures go up to about 30C (86F) (38C/100F or more in the Shire valley) and remain relatively high until the beginning of the dry cool season. The rains, however, do not necessarily bring relief — the rainy season, especially in the first month, can be hot and humid.
Weather in Malawi also depends greatly on elevation and proximity to Lake Malawi. Because most of Malawi is sandwiched between the Lake in the East and a range of mountains on the West, the elevation varies widely. An easy way to put it is that temperatures slowly increase the closer you are to the lake. Also, the Southern Region is normally about 4C (8F) warmer than the Central region and about 6C (11F) warmer than the Northern region.
From Tourismmalawi.com:
Temperatures |
Dec–Mar
Wet–Warm |
Jul–Aug
Dry–Cool |
Oct–Nov
Dry–Hot |
Blantyre |
17/26 |
10/20 |
19/28 |
Zomba Town |
17/26 |
10/20 |
19/28 |
Lilongwe |
18/26 |
8/24 |
16/28 |
Mzuzu |
16/25 |
5/20 |
16/28 |
Liwonde |
22/32 |
14/25 |
24/33 |
Lakeshore |
21/30 |
14/25 |
23/33 |
Low Valleys |
23/34 |
16/28 |
21/38+ |
High Plateaux |
12/20 |
3/1 |
14/24 |
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