Lake Malawi Sea Temperature

Looking to find out what the sea water temperature in Lake Malawi is for today and the next few days? Below are data and charts that will give you information about sea temperatures in Lake Malawi and nearby locations.

Water temperature in Lake Malawi right now

Below is the current sea temperature for Lake Malawi, Malawi on January 15, 2026.

Today

Yesterday

A week ago

This water temperature is comparable to that of a swimming pool, but it might be higher than most open water swimmers prefer for serious swimming. Make sure to drink plenty of water before and after swimming and don't wear a wetsuit to avoid overheating.

The average sea temperature for Lake Malawi on January 15 over the last 10 years is 28.78° C (83.81° F), with a low temperature of 27.08° C (80.74° F) and a high of 29.52° C (85.14° F).

Analysis and forecast for Lake Malawi water temperatures

The water temperature in Lake Malawi today is the same as the average temperature of 28.78° C (83.81° F) and the temperature on this day last year was 28.78° C (83.81° F).

The chart and table below shows the change in water temperature in Lake Malawi over the last 30 days:

DateTemperature (Celsius)Temperature (Fahrenheit)
January 1528.78° C83.81° F
January 1428.81° C83.85° F
January 1328.75° C83.75° F
January 1228.9° C84.02° F
January 1129.03° C84.25° F
January 1029.13° C84.44° F
January 929.09° C84.37° F
January 829.06° C84.32° F
January 729.16° C84.48° F
January 629.06° C84.31° F
January 529.18° C84.52° F
January 429.16° C84.49° F
January 329.16° C84.48° F
January 229.16° C84.5° F
January 129.25° C84.64° F
December 3129.29° C84.73° F
December 3029.25° C84.65° F
December 2929.28° C84.7° F
December 2829.17° C84.5° F
December 2729.21° C84.57° F
December 2629.26° C84.68° F
December 2529.31° C84.77° F
December 2429.28° C84.7° F
December 2329.3° C84.75° F
December 2229.35° C84.84° F
December 2129.31° C84.77° F
December 2029.31° C84.77° F
December 1929.25° C84.66° F
December 1829.26° C84.67° F
December 1729.25° C84.64° F

The actual nearshore temperatures may vary by several degrees and this can also be heavily affected by weather. Strong winds can cause cold, deep waters to replace the surface waters that had been warmed by the sun, and heavy rain can also reduce the temperature of the sea surface temperature as well.

Water temperature in Lake Malawi by month

The chart below shows the monthly average water temperature in Lake Malawi.

For more detailed information on how the sea temperature in Lake Malawi changes for each month of the year, choose from the months below.

Lake Malawi map and nearby water temperatures

Lake Malawi sea temperature map

Locations near Lake Malawi

Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in Lake Malawi?

The ocean covers about 71% of the Earth's surface, and scientists record the sea surface temperature (SST) of locations such as Lake Malawi because they want to understand and learn how the ocean communicates with the atmosphere of Earth.

SST is one measure that provides information on the global climate, and it can be used to predict the weather in Lake Malawi as well as atmospheric model simulations and to study marine ecosystems in the area.

Data source and citation

Raw data for the calculations made to find the sea surface temperature in Lake Malawi comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and their 1/4° daily Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature.

The water temperature data is constructed by combining observations from different platforms (satellites, ships, buoys, and Argo floats) on a regular global grid. A spatially complete sea surface temperature map is then built by interpolating to fill in gaps in the data.

If you'd like to use any of the information above in the format it is presented, please use the citation tool below.