Malawi weather in August - temperature, rain and is it a good time to visit?

August is one of the best months for a holiday in Malawi.

Weather in August at a glance

Daytime temperature: 25°C
Night-time temperature: 16°C
Daylight hours: 11h38min
Chance of rain: 1%
Muggy days: 11%

An overview for the country. Conditions can vary between cities and regions.

Plan your trip · August

Malawi in August: weather for a week away

Compare destinations and see how many days of a typical trip met your preferred temperature range, with less than 1 mm of daily precipitation.

Historical dataNASA POWER1981-2025

City or region

Compare with history

What weather do you prefer?

Lilongwe in August: Sightseeing

1981-2025

Daytime temperature 18-28°CDaily precipitation Less than 1 mm

Days matching your plans

5.8 / 7

Weekly average; typical number of days: 5-7

At least 5 matching days

81%

of historical weeks

All 7 days match

54%

of historical weeks

How many matching days were there in a week?

Each bar shows the share of historical weeks.

0days

1day

2days

3days

4days

12%

5days

14%

6days

54%

7days

5-7 days matching your preferences

When to go? Compare the months

Average matching days per week

0.3Jan 0.9Feb 2Mar 4.6Apr 6.4May 6.7Jun 6.8Jul 5.8Aug 2Sept 0.3Oct 0.3Nov 0.2Dec

The highest average was in July: 6.8 matching days per week.

Malawi in August: which destinations match most often?

Comparison of 9 cities and regions using your selected conditions.

Lilongwe · 1981-2025

Hot days and warm nights in August

Does the temperature drop below 20°C during hot weather?

0%of hot days with a minimum ≥20°C

0%of weeks with at least 3 warm nights*

On 0% of hot days, the temperature stayed at or above 20°C even at its coolest. This covers 34 days with a maximum of at least 30°C.

Lowest temperature on hot days

Below 18°C100%

18°C to below 20°C0%

At least 20°C0%

* A warm night is represented by the daily minimum ≥20°C. Maximum and minimum refer to the same day; this does not isolate the night following a particular hot day.

Lilongwe · Your holiday week

How much can temperatures change during a week?

Check cooler hours as well as afternoon temperatures.

Coolest time of day8.3-11°CWeekly minimum: typical range

Warmest day25.6-29.4°CWeekly maximum: typical range

3.3°CTypical difference between the highest and lowest daytime maxima in a week

How often does it get cooler from one day to the next?

1%of weeks with a day-to-day drop in maximum temperature of at least 5°C

A warmer layer may be useful in the evening and early morning. Weekly lows often differed greatly from afternoon temperatures.

Ranges are the 20th-80th percentiles of whole-week minima and maxima, not forecast limits. Cooling compares consecutive daily maxima, not day and night temperatures.

Compare all destinations

18-28°C · Less than 1 mm · 1981-2025
City or region	Days matching your plans	At least 5 matching days	All 7 days match
Lilongwe	5.8 / 7	81%	54%
Blantyre	1.8 / 7	11%	<1%
Zomba	4.2 / 7	52%	18%
Nkhotakota	4.3 / 7	54%	22%
Karonga	5.2 / 7	69%	46%
Dedza	6.6 / 7	95%	74%
Mangochi	2.5 / 7	23%	4%
Liwonde	3.6 / 7	39%	16%
Mchinji	3.8 / 7	46%	25%

Where do the figures come from?

The analysis includes 1,125 complete 7-day periods out of 1,125 possible periods in 45 years (1981-2025), for Lilongwe. Every week lies entirely within the selected month. Overlapping weeks are not independent samples. Incomplete weeks are excluded.

A matching day has a daily maximum within the selected temperature range, inclusive, and precipitation below 1 mm. Trace precipitation is possible. The typical range is the 20th-80th percentile of matching days per week. Daily percentages count each calendar day once; categories can overlap.

NASA POWER provides daily MERRA-2 grid data for each location, not city weather-station measurements or an area-wide country average. These are historical frequencies, not a forecast or a measure of forecast accuracy. This comparison does not include cloud, wind, humidity, sea temperature or changes within the day, and does not assess outdoor safety. Check the current forecast before travelling. NASA POWER Daily API.

Historical frequency, not a forecast for your travel dates.

Malawi - August vs the year - annual climate

In August, Malawi averages about 25° during the day and 16° at night. It's usually fairly dry, with only about a 1% chance of rain.

Historical weather 1981-2025

Weather in Malawi in August: trends from 1981 to 2025

NASA POWER

From 2016 to 2025, the average daytime high was 27.5°C, 0.9°C warmer than in 1981-1990. 2005 was the warmest (29.2°C), while 1984 was the coolest (25.8°C).

Differences between years

How similar is the weather in August from year to year?

In 97% of the years compared, temperature and the number of wet days were close to typical for this month.

Similar means an average daily maximum within 2°C and a wet-day count within 3 days of the 1991-2020 medians. This is historical similarity, not forecast accuracy.

97%of years with similar conditions

Typical average daytime high27°C–28.3°C

Typical number of wet days0–1 day

Daytime temperatures in August: year by year

Monthly average daily maximum temperature: compare individual years and the longer-term trend.

45 years of data

Coolest month25.8°C 1984

Warmest month29.2°C 2005

Latest year in the data26.8°C 2025

Average for each year5-year average1991-2020 reference: 27.6°C

Blue band: the 20th-80th percentile of monthly averages in 1991-2020. The thicker line is the average of five consecutive years. Highlights describe whole months, not single-day records.

View temperatures for every year

Year	Average daytime maximum	5-year average
1981	26.9°C	-
1982	26.1°C	-
1983	26.6°C	-
1984	25.8°C	-
1985	25.8°C	26.2°C
1986	26.9°C	26.2°C
1987	27.1°C	26.4°C
1988	27.2°C	26.6°C
1989	26.5°C	26.7°C
1990	26.8°C	26.9°C
1991	27.5°C	27°C
1992	26.9°C	27°C
1993	26.7°C	26.9°C
1994	27.2°C	27°C
1995	28.6°C	27.4°C
1996	27°C	27.3°C
1997	27.5°C	27.4°C
1998	27.4°C	27.5°C
1999	26.3°C	27.4°C
2000	26.6°C	27°C
2001	28.3°C	27.2°C
2002	27.7°C	27.3°C
2003	27.9°C	27.4°C
2004	28.3°C	27.8°C
2005	29.2°C	28.3°C
2006	28.2°C	28.3°C
2007	27.7°C	28.3°C
2008	27.6°C	28.2°C
2009	27.4°C	28°C
2010	25.9°C	27.4°C
2011	26.8°C	27.1°C
2012	29.2°C	27.4°C
2013	28°C	27.5°C
2014	28.1°C	27.6°C
2015	28.3°C	28.1°C
2016	28.1°C	28.3°C
2017	27.2°C	27.9°C
2018	27.7°C	27.9°C
2019	28.3°C	27.9°C
2020	27.8°C	27.8°C
2021	27.3°C	27.7°C
2022	26.5°C	27.5°C
2023	26.9°C	27.4°C
2024	28.2°C	27.3°C
2025	26.8°C	27.1°C

How has August changed since the 1980s?

A comparison of 1981-1990 with 2016-2025 shows how temperatures, rainfall and the frequency of longer hot spells have changed.

In the latest decade, the average daytime high was 0.9°C warmer than in 1981-1990.

Daytime high

1981-199026.6°C2016-202527.5°C

change: +0.9°C

Hot days

1981-19901.3 days2016-20252.8 days

change: +1.5 days

Warm nights

1981-19900 days2016-20250 days

change: 0 days

Wet days

1981-19900.5 days2016-20250.9 days

change: +0.4 days

Years with a heatwave

1981-199010%2016-202550%

change: +40 pp

How often does August bring heat, frost and rain?

Typical number of days and monthly precipitation based on the 1991-2020 climate normal.

Warm days29 dayshigh of at least 25°C

Hot days4 dayshigh of at least 30°C

Frost nights0 dayslow below 0°C

Warm nights0 dayslow of at least 20°C

Wet days0 daysat least 1 mm

Monthly rainfall2 mmtypical total

How often does it rain in Malawi in August?

The chances use every consecutive 3-, 5- and 7-day period from 1981 to 2025. A wet day has at least 1 mm of precipitation.

A full seven days without rain occurred in 90% of historical periods. At least one wet day occurred in 10% of weeks.

3 rain-free days95%historical chance

5 rain-free days92%historical chance

7 rain-free days90%historical chance

Longest dry spell31 daystypical in the month

Longest wet spell0 daystypical in the month

Heatwaves, warm nights and cool spells in August

The percentages show years with at least one run of three consecutive days or nights meeting the stated threshold.

Heatwave36%3 days with highs of at least 30°C16 of 45 years · most often: Day 21 to month end

Run of warm nights0%3 nights with lows of at least 20°C0 of 45 years

Run of frosty nights0%3 nights with lows below 0°C0 of 45 years

Marked cool spell80%3 days with highs no greater than 25.9°C36 of 45 years · most often: Days 1-10

Highest and lowest values since 1981

Highest temperature33.1°C24 August 1995

Coolest night9.3°C24 August 1996

Wettest day7.1 mm22 August 2003

Start, middle or end of the month - when is the weather most stable?

We compare temperatures, dry days, heavy rain and wind. The highlighted period usually has the lowest combined risk of rain and stronger winds.

Days 1-10most stable

26.5°CDaytime high13.4°CNight

Dry days: 10 days
Heavy-rain risk: 0%
Hot days: 0%
Stronger wind: 0%

Days 11-20

27.6°CDaytime high14°CNight

Dry days: 10 days
Heavy-rain risk: 0%
Hot days: 10%
Stronger wind: 1%

Day 21 to month end

28.7°CDaytime high14.6°CNight

Dry days: 11 days
Heavy-rain risk: 0%
Hot days: 27%
Stronger wind: 0%

The most stable conditions for rain and wind usually occur during: Days 1-10.

Country values are the median of data for 9 cities covered by the site. Source: NASA POWER daily gridded data (MERRA-2), 1981-2025; 1991-2020 climate normal. These are area-based model data and can differ from official weather-station records.

Malawi weather all year - average temperatures and rain

Month	Day	Night	Chance of rain
January	26℃	21℃	31%
February	26℃	21℃	19%
March	26℃	20℃	14%
April ★	26℃	19℃	13%
May ★	25℃	17℃	3%
June ★	23℃	15℃	2%
July ★	23℃	15℃	1%
August ★	25℃	16℃	1%
September ★	27℃	19℃	1%
October ★	29℃	21℃	0%
November ★	30℃	22℃	4%
December	28℃	22℃	22%

★ - months most often recommended for travel

Where is it warmest in Malawi in August? Weather by city

For each city, we show the average daytime temperature and the warmest and coolest year. The comparison uses the average daily high across the whole of August, not a single extreme day.

Place	Day	Night	August 1981-2025	Chance of rain
Blantyre	27℃	16℃	Average29.3°C Warmest year2005 · 32.1°C Coolest year2010 · 26.4°C Warmest day36.6°C · 29 Aug 2014 Coolest day18.9°C · 14 Aug 1993	2%
Karonga	26℃	20℃	Average26.8°C Warmest year2012 · 28.6°C Coolest year1985 · 24.8°C Warmest day31.8°C · 20 Aug 2003 Coolest day21°C · 15 Aug 1993	0%
Lilongwe	25℃	11℃	Average25.7°C Warmest year2005 · 27.3°C Coolest year1985 · 23°C Warmest day31.9°C · 22 Aug 2016 Coolest day19.2°C · 14 Aug 1993	1%
Nkhotakota	24℃	20℃	Average27.5°C Warmest year2019 · 28.8°C Coolest year2010 · 26.4°C Warmest day32.6°C · 23 Aug 2016 Coolest day22.3°C · 13 Aug 2010	4%
Dedza	17℃	12℃	Average23.6°C Warmest year2005 · 25.3°C Coolest year1985 · 21.3°C Warmest day30.7°C · 16 Aug 2007 Coolest day15.3°C · 14 Aug 1993	0%

Temperature records in Malawi: August compared with the whole year

The comparison uses daily high temperatures from 1981-2025 for the 5 cities shown in the table.

Warmest day in August36.6°C Blantyre · 29 August 2014

Warmest day of the year43.1°C Blantyre · 25 November 2020

Coolest day in August15.3°C Dedza · 14 August 1993

Coolest day of the year13.2°C Dedza · 31 May 1984

These are records in NASA POWER gridded data for the analysed cities, not official national weather-station records.

Travelling soon? Check the live 14-day weather forecast for Malawi.

Malawi weather - other months

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