In 2023, a series of severe events took place, notably Tropical Cyclone Freddy that led to widespread flooding and mudslides that impacted more than 2.2 million people in Southern Malawi. This disaster struck at a difficult time, as Malawi was in the process of recovering from the effects of Tropical Storm Ana and Tropical Cyclone Gombe, which had caused significant damage to the same districts in the south of the country.

This 'State of Malawi Climate in 2023' report provides a snapshot of how 2023 season performed. The 2022/2023 rainfall season started very slowly, with many areas registering below-normal rainfall during the October-November-December sub-season. The northern part of the country experienced moderate to severely drier conditions than normal during this sub-season.