Blantyre climate
Blantyre (Malawi) has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C69 °F, and about 1,176 mm46 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Blantyre climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2578 | 1864 | 2171 | 30912 |
| Feb | 2577 | 1763 | 2170 | 2238.8 |
| Mar | 2577 | 1661 | 2169 | 1716.7 |
| Apr | 2576 | 1457 | 1967 | 522.1 |
| May | 2476 | 1253 | 1864 | 200.8 |
| Jun | 2373 | 1050 | 1762 | 190.7 |
| Jul | 2373 | 1049 | 1661 | 331.3 |
| Aug | 2679 | 1152 | 1966 | 80.3 |
| Sep | 3086 | 1458 | 2272 | 110.4 |
| Oct | 3290 | 1763 | 2577 | 160.6 |
| Nov | 3289 | 1865 | 2577 | 843.3 |
| Dec | 2882 | 1865 | 2374 | 2309.1 |
| Year | 3290 | 1049 | 2169 | 1,17646 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82% | 82% | 5.6 | 12:58 |
| Feb | 84% | 76% | 5.9 | 12:38 |
| Mar | 84% | 68% | 5.7 | 12:13 |
| Apr | 78% | 49% | 5.4 | 11:46 |
| May | 69% | 38% | 5.0 | 11:23 |
| Jun | 66% | 41% | 4.5 | 11:12 |
| Jul | 63% | 43% | 4.5 | 11:16 |
| Aug | 54% | 32% | 5.4 | 11:35 |
| Sep | 46% | 26% | 6.2 | 12:02 |
| Oct | 45% | 36% | 6.6 | 12:29 |
| Nov | 52% | 54% | 6.6 | 12:52 |
| Dec | 72% | 77% | 6.0 | 13:04 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Blantyre is like
The warmest month is November, with an average high of 32 °C89 °F and a low of 18 °C65 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 23 °C73 °F and lows 10 °C49 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 9 °C16.2 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,176 mm46 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 65% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May and June and August–October. The wettest month is January (309 mm12 in), the driest is August (8 mm0.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 45% in October to 84% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 26%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in February to 11 km/h (7 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 11.2 hours in June to 13.1 hours in December.
Best time to visit Blantyre
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–September: average highs of 23 °C73 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 8 mm0.3 in to 52 mm2.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is very wet (309 mm12 in) and humid (82% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Blantyre
- Wetter months (December–March) — highs 2577 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 1661 to 18 °C65 °F, about 234 mm9.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (April–November) — highs 2373 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1049 to 18 °C65 °F, about 30 mm1.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Blantyre compares
Compared with Lilongwe, about 241 km to the northwest, Blantyre is on average 0.4 °C0.7 °F cooler and receives 12% more precipitation (1,176 mm46 in vs 1,047 mm41 in). The difference is largest in March (0.9 °C1.7 °F cooler).
Of the 4 places in Malawi covered by World Climates, Blantyre is the 3rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 3rd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Malawi climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Chimoio (Mozambique, Cwa), Gurúè (Mozambique, Csa) and Mutare (Zimbabwe, Cwa).
Nearby places
- Zomba 55 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,244 mm49 in
- Tete 158 km · 27 °C80 °F · 850 mm33 in
- Mandimba 174 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,093 mm43 in
- Gurúè 214 km · 22 °C71 °F · 1,570 mm62 in
- Lilongwe 241 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,047 mm41 in
- Mocuba 241 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,189 mm47 in
- Lichinga 276 km · 20 °C68 °F · 1,025 mm40 in
- Quelimane 307 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,118 mm44 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Blantyre?
November is the warmest month in Blantyre, with an average high of 32 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (65 °F).
What is the coldest month in Blantyre?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 23 °C (73 °F) and an average low of 10 °C (49 °F).
When does it rain the most in Blantyre?
January is the wettest month with about 309 mm (12.2 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 8 mm (0.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Blantyre?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 557 m, while Blantyre lies at about 1,041 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −3.1 °C5.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.