Lubumbashi weather in March

In March, Lubumbashi sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 171 mm of rain across 23.2 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in March, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Lubumbashi's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lubumbashi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
7th warmest
Overnight low
17°
7th coldest
Rainfall
171 mm
23.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:17 AM – 6:22 PM
Cloud cover
75%
9th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Lubumbashi is second largest city in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Founded
1910

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical March day in Lubumbashi reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12618
22618
32618
42618
52618
62618
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152717
162717
172717
182717
192717
202717
212717
222717
232717
242617
252617
262617
272617
282617
292617
302617
312617

Lubumbashi weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°25828.412.63.7
Feb26° / 18°21324.412.43.9
Mar26° / 17°17123.212.14.6
Apr27° / 16°367.111.77.0
May27° / 15°20.611.58.4
Jun26° / 12°0011.39.1
Jul25° / 12°0011.49.2
Aug28° / 14°0011.68.1
Sep31° / 17°30.711.96.0
Oct32° / 19°255.212.34.8
Nov29° / 18°13019.412.54.2
Dec26° / 18°22627.612.73.8

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 75%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21585
31684
41684
51783
61783
71882
81981
92080
102080
112179
122179
132278
142377
152476
162476
172575
182674
192674
202773
212773
222971
233070
243169
253367
263367
273565
283664
293763
303862
313961

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Lubumbashi gets around 171 mm of rain over 23.2 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 73% and peaks near 86% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
186
285
385
484
583
683
782
881
980
1079
1178
1277
1376
1475
1574
1674
1773
1872
1971
2071
2170
2269
2368
2467
2566
2665
2763
2862
2960
3058
3157

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of March feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, March lands in the humid band about 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 39% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
105248
205248
305347
405347
505446
605446
705545
805545
915544
1015643
1115643
1215742
1315742
1425741
1525741
1635740
1735839
1835839
1945838
2045838
2155837
2255936
2365935
2466034
2576132
2686131
2796229
2896328
29106426
30116425
31126523

Wind in March

Winds average 6 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:16 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:166:31
212.26:166:30
312.26:166:30
412.26:166:29
512.26:176:29
612.26:176:28
712.26:176:27
812.26:176:27
912.26:176:26
1012.16:176:26
1112.16:176:25
1212.16:176:25
1312.16:176:24
1412.16:176:23
1512.16:176:23
1612.16:176:22
1712.16:176:22
1812.16:176:21
1912.06:176:20
2012.06:176:20
2112.06:176:19
2212.06:186:18
2312.06:186:18
2412.06:186:17
2512.06:186:16
2612.06:186:16
2712.06:186:15
2811.96:186:14
2911.96:186:14
3011.96:186:13
3111.96:186:12

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.34 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.1 kWh/m² to a high of 6.94 kWh/m² in September across the year — March's 5.34 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Lubumbashi

In seasonPeak

In March, Lubumbashi sits inside its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Lubumbashi's monsoon runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is March a good time to visit Lubumbashi?

Our two travel scores rate March for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.6
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Lubumbashi for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lubumbashi in March

From March's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In March, Lubumbashi sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Lubumbashi in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lubumbashi peaks around March 12 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 9 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeMar 12UV 16Jun 18UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Lubumbashi in March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Lubumbashi is worst in August — around 74 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.5× the cleanest month (April, 14 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateAug 1772 µg/m³Apr 1914 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun32Moderate
Jul55Unhealthy
Aug74Unhealthy
Sep57Unhealthy
Oct37Poor
Nov20Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lubumbashi?

Lubumbashi sits at 11.7°S, 27.5°E, 1,260 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Kipushi, 27 km away.

KansanshiChambishiMokamboMufulira

Topography around Lubumbashi

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Lubumbashi.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lubumbashi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 85 m around an average of 1,240 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 239 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 431 m.

The land around Lubumbashi is covered by artificial surfaces (81%) within 3 km, grassland (31%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and grassland (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
85 m
16 km
239 m
80 km
431 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: Kipushi 27 km · Chililabombwe 87 km · Chingola 106 km · Likasi 110 km · Kansanshi 124 km · Chambishi 125 km · Mokambo 127 km · Mufulira 129 km

Democratic Republic of the Congo travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 42% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$807
2025
Happiness
3.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
12%
of population, 2024
Road deaths
34.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 400

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Lubumbashi (-11.6609°, 27.4794°, elevation 1,260 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).