Mzuzu, the cold heart of Malawi

Time for a weather update.  For those of you unfamiliar with African seasons, there are basically 3 in this part of the continent.  From about September to November is the dry season, then from November to April is the rainy season, followed by the cold season  in May through August.  Now cold is a relative sort of thing.  Here in Mzuzu the cold season means lows of around 45 to 50 degrees at night and highs in the 60’s during the day time.  It is magnified by the fact there is no heat in the brick houses, so the inside temperature becomes what the average air temperature is.  The weather here over the past week has reached a quite predicable regime of wind and rain beginning during the night and continuing until noon or later, followed by brief clearing in the afternoon with a glimpse of the sun around sundown.  It’s interesting that Mzuzu seems to have it’s own microclimate as many mornings when it’s drizzling here you can look off to the south and see the edge of the cloud line about 10 miles away.  Whenever you travel it only takes a few miles to reach warmer temperatures.  This coolness is great during the dry (hot) season when places like Karonga roast at over a 100 degrees every day, but this time of year it is just like the late fall rains of November in White Salmon.  I guess we won’t get homesick for chilly fall weather, but it’s hard to believe Malawi’s motto of “the warm heart of Africa.”

 

Andy