Drying Days

How good the next few days are for drying fish and cassava in the open — strong-sun hours, when rain is coming, and the best window to have things on the racks.

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About these tools

Town Tools builds free, public tools for Nkhata Bay and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.

Day

Drying

Rain

Best window

Today

Mixed (9 hrs)

7 am

9 am–6 pm

Tomorrow

Excellent (11 hrs)

—

7 am–6 pm

Wednesday

Excellent (11 hrs)

—

7 am–6 pm

Thursday

Excellent (11 hrs)

—

7 am–6 pm

Drying tips

Spread the catch thin on raised racks so air moves underneath, rather than in deep piles.

Turn it around midday so both sides get the strongest sun.

When the lake darkens to the south or east, rain can reach the bay quickly — cover up before it arrives, not after.

A breeze off the lake dries as much as the sun does; an open, airy rack beats a sheltered corner.

Worth knowing

Why drying matters here

Nkhata Bay has long been a heart of Malawi's fish trade, and getting usipa dried and to market before it spoils is the binding constraint on that trade. A half-dried catch caught by the rain is lost income.

Dry it properly, not with chemicals

In October 2025 some processors were found using the pesticide Actellic to preserve usipa while drying it; the District Fisheries Officer called it illegal and urged proper sun-drying and salting instead. A good run of drying weather is what lets the safe method work.

The rains are the threat

The wet season runs roughly November to April, around 1,657 mm of rain a year. That is when showers interrupt drying and when this outlook earns its keep; the dry season, May to October, usually gives long, reliable drying days.

Drying Days

About these tools

The next few days

Drying tips

Worth knowing

Why drying matters here

Dry it properly, not with chemicals

The rains are the threat