Chiengi weather in December

In December, Chiengi sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 266 mm of rain across 26.6 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of December to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Chiengi's 11th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chiengi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
11th warmest
Overnight low
19°
5th coldest
Rainfall
266 mm
26.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
5:44 AM – 6:15 PM
Cloud cover
86%
11th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Chiengi is human settlement.

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Chiengi reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12719
22719
32719
42719
52719
62719
72719
82719
92719
102719
112719
122719
132719
142719
152719
162719
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302719
312719

Chiengi weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 19°21523.612.44.2
Feb28° / 19°18020.512.34.3
Mar28° / 19°24224.912.14.1
Apr28° / 19°11514.711.85.3
May29° / 18°10211.66.8
Jun28° / 16°0011.57.7
Jul28° / 16°0011.58.0
Aug30° / 17°10.111.76.4
Sep32° / 19°102.411.95.0
Oct31° / 20°7412.912.24.2
Nov28° / 19°20522.612.43.9
Dec27° / 19°26626.612.53.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 91%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21288
31288
41288
51189
61189
71090
81090
91090
101090
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17892
18892
19892
20892
21892
22793
23793
24793
25793
26793
27793
28694
29694
30694
31694

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Chiengi gets around 266 mm of rain over 26.6 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 85% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
187
287
388
488
589
689
789
889
989
1089
1189
1289
1389
1488
1588
1687
1786
1886
1985
2084
2183
2283
2382
2481
2581
2680
2779
2879
2979
3078
3178

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 88% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 88% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
19910
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89910
910900
1010900
1110900
1210900
1310900
1411890
1511890
1611890
1712880
1812880
1912880
2013870
2113870
2213870
2314860
2414860
2515850
2615850
2716840
2816840
2917830
3017821
3117821

Wind in December

Winds average 5 km/h in December, the calmest month.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of December to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:39 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 6:07 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.55:396:07
212.55:396:08
312.55:406:08
412.55:406:09
512.55:406:09
612.55:416:10
712.55:416:10
812.55:416:11
912.55:426:11
1012.55:426:12
1112.55:426:12
1212.55:436:13
1312.55:436:13
1412.55:446:14
1512.55:446:14
1612.55:446:15
1712.55:456:15
1812.55:456:16
1912.55:466:16
2012.55:466:17
2112.55:476:17
2212.55:476:17
2312.55:486:18
2412.55:486:18
2512.55:496:19
2612.55:496:19
2712.55:506:20
2812.55:506:20
2912.55:516:21
3012.55:516:21
3112.55:526:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.86 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.86 kWh/m² to a high of 6.85 kWh/m² in September across the year — December's 5.86 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Chiengi

In seasonPeak

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

Chiengi'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 December a good time to visit Chiengi?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chiengi.

What to pack for Chiengi in December

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

In December, Chiengi sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Chiengi in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chiengi peaks around February 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near August 11 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 highExtremeFeb 19UV 16Aug 11UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Chiengi in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Chiengi is worst in August — around 80 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 11.8× the cleanest month (May, 7 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateUnhealthyModerateGoodAug 1977 µg/m³May 107 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar9Good
Apr7Good
May7Good
Jun15Moderate
Jul46Poor
Aug80Unhealthy
Sep63Unhealthy
Oct28Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Chiengi?

Chiengi sits at 8.7°S, 29.2°E, 993 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Pweto, 36 km away.

NchelengeKawambwaPepaMporokosoMwansabombweKituku

Topography around Chiengi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chiengi has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 260 m around an average of 985 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 471 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,011 m.

The land around Chiengi is covered by water (26%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, trees (33%) and water (31%) within 16 km, and trees (49%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
260 m
16 km
471 m
80 km
1,011 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Pweto 36 km · Kaputa 59 km · Nchelenge 89 km · Kawambwa 126 km · Pepa 127 km · Mporokoso 132 km · Mwansabombwe 136 km · Kituku 166 km

Zambia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 30% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,318
2025
Happiness
4.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
5.2
per 100k, 2015
Road deaths
20.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 573
Religion
Protestant 75%Roman Catholic 20%other 3%none 2%

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 Chiengi (-8.6604°, 29.1614°, elevation 993 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).