Malakal climate
Malakal (South Sudan) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 29 °C84 °F, and about 763 mm30 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Malakal climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3696 | 2068 | 2882 | 00.0 |
| Feb | 38101 | 2373 | 3087 | 00.0 |
| Mar | 40104 | 2576 | 3290 | 20.1 |
| Apr | 40103 | 2680 | 3391 | 230.9 |
| May | 3697 | 2578 | 3187 | 803.2 |
| Jun | 3392 | 2374 | 2883 | 1034.0 |
| Jul | 3188 | 2373 | 2780 | 1405.5 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2272 | 2679 | 1716.7 |
| Sep | 3188 | 2373 | 2781 | 1445.7 |
| Oct | 3391 | 2374 | 2883 | 943.7 |
| Nov | 3596 | 2271 | 2883 | 50.2 |
| Dec | 3596 | 2169 | 2882 | 20.1 |
| Year | 40104 | 2068 | 2984 | 76330 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27% | 32% | 5.8 | 11:37 |
| Feb | 24% | 40% | 6.1 | 11:49 |
| Mar | 23% | 55% | 6.5 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 35% | 62% | 6.4 | 12:20 |
| May | 54% | 72% | 5.6 | 12:33 |
| Jun | 66% | 75% | 4.9 | 12:41 |
| Jul | 73% | 79% | 4.7 | 12:38 |
| Aug | 77% | 81% | 4.9 | 12:26 |
| Sep | 75% | 74% | 5.3 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 68% | 65% | 5.6 | 11:54 |
| Nov | 49% | 36% | 5.8 | 11:40 |
| Dec | 34% | 30% | 5.7 | 11:34 |
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 Malakal is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 40 °C103 °F and a low of 26 °C80 °F. The coldest is August, when highs average 30 °C86 °F and lows 22 °C72 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 6.7 °C12 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 763 mm30 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 60% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–March. The wettest month is August (171 mm6.7 in), the driest is February (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 23% in March to 77% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 30%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in September to 15 km/h (9 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 11.6 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Malakal
No month comes close to our comfort ideal here. The least demanding months are June, July and October (average highs 33 °C92 °F, 31 °C88 °F and 33 °C91 °F).
The most challenging month is March, which is hot, with average highs of 40 °C104 °F.
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 Malakal
- Wetter months (May–October) — highs 3086 to 36 °C97 °F, lows 2272 to 25 °C78 °F, about 122 mm4.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (November–April) — highs 3596 to 40 °C104 °F, lows 2068 to 26 °C80 °F, about 5 mm0.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Malakal compares
Compared with Ad-Damazin, about 387 km to the northeast, Malakal has practically the same average temperature and receives 28% more precipitation (763 mm30 in vs 595 mm23 in). The difference is largest in June (1.2 °C2.1 °F cooler).
Of the 5 places in South Sudan covered by World Climates, Malakal is the warmest by annual mean temperature and the 5th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the South Sudan climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Jimeta (Nigeria, Aw), Yola (Nigeria, Aw) and Ad-Damazin (Sudan, BSh).
Nearby places
- Ad-Damazin 387 km · 29 °C84 °F · 595 mm23 in
- Kosti 418 km · 29 °C85 °F · 409 mm16 in
- El Obeid 435 km · 27 °C81 °F · 363 mm14 in
- Wau 452 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,032 mm41 in
- Winejok 453 km · 29 °C84 °F · 903 mm36 in
- Singa 472 km · 29 °C84 °F · 458 mm18 in
- Sennar 494 km · 29 °C84 °F · 464 mm18 in
- An Nuhud 498 km · 27 °C81 °F · 420 mm17 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Malakal?
April is the warmest month in Malakal, with an average high of 40 °C (103 °F) and an average low of 26 °C (80 °F).
What is the coldest month in Malakal?
August is the coldest month, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (72 °F).
When does it rain the most in Malakal?
August is the wettest month with about 171 mm (6.7 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
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.