Lilongwe climate — normals and trends
Lilongwe (Malawi) has a hot-summer mediterranean climate (Csa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 20.3 °C and it receives 727 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is November (23.7 °C on average) and the coldest is July (16.3 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Lilongwe averages 0 frost days, 34 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 106 rainy days per year.
Lilongwe has warmed by +1.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.14 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 35.6 °C (on 27 November 1951) and the coldest 4.2 °C (on 26 July 1975).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
LilongweCentral Region
- coords
- -13.97°, 33.79°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
20.3°C
Average daily high
25.9°C
Average daily low
15.5°C
Annual rainfall
727mm
Sunshine / day
10.5h
Mean relative humidity
67%
Average peak wind
15.6km/h
Seasonal range
7.4°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
34 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
106 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
26.7 °C
Average feels-like low
15.3 °C
Average peak gust
33.7 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
12 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.2 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.47 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
35.6 °C
27 November 1951
Coldest day
4.2 °C
26 July 1975
Wettest day
118 mm
6 March 2006
Windiest day
32.7 km/h
7 February 1977
Strongest gust
73.8 km/h
4 February 1972
Hottest feels-like
37.6 °C
19 December 2023
Coldest feels-like
0.9 °C
26 July 1975
Sunniest day
12.8 h
29 November 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
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Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.8 °C | 0.0 °C | 263 mm | +62 mm |
| Feb | 26.9 °C | +1.2 °C | 127 mm | -41 mm |
| Mar | 26.3 °C | +0.6 °C | 88 mm | -27 mm |
| Apr | 26.1 °C | +0.6 °C | 32 mm | +1 mm |
| May | 24.2 °C | -0.5 °C | 19 mm | +12 mm |
| Jun | 23.9 °C | +0.8 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Jul | 22.7 °C | -0.1 °C | 1 mm | -0 mm |
| Aug | 25.3 °C | +0.6 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Sep | 28.8 °C | +1.5 °C | 1 mm | -1 mm |
| Oct | 29.4 °C | +0.1 °C | 1 mm | -7 mm |
| Nov | 28.2 °C | -1.2 °C | 82 mm | +37 mm |
| Dec | 26.3 °C | -0.9 °C | 244 mm | +98 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Lilongwe?
Lilongwe has a hot-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 20.3 °C and it receives 727 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Lilongwe?
The hottest day measured in Lilongwe between 1940 and 2025 was 27 November 1951, reaching 35.6 °C.
What is the coldest day in Lilongwe?
The coldest day measured in Lilongwe between 1940 and 2025 was 26 July 1975, at 4.2 °C.
Does it snow in Lilongwe?
Almost never: Lilongwe sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Lilongwe warmed?
Yes: Lilongwe warmed by +1.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Lilongwe?
The wettest day measured in Lilongwe between 1940 and 2025 was 6 March 2006, with 118 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Lilongwe?
The windiest day measured in Lilongwe between 1940 and 2025 was 7 February 1977, with winds reaching 32.7 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Lilongwe?
The warmest month in Lilongwe is November (23.7 °C on average); the coldest is July (16.3 °C).
How much does it rain in Lilongwe?
Lilongwe receives on average 727 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 106 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Lilongwe?
Lilongwe gets on average 10.5 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,833 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Lilongwe?
Yes: Lilongwe has on average 12 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Lilongwe?
In Lilongwe, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 37.6 °C on 19 December 2023, and the lowest was 0.9 °C on 26 July 1975.
Compare Lilongwe with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Lilongwe