Chinsali weather in January

In January, Chinsali sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 205 mm of rain across 26.4 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 1st-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 1% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of January to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Chinsali's 12th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chinsali's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
8th warmest
Overnight low
18°
9th coldest
Rainfall
205 mm
26.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
5:44 AM – 6:18 PM
Cloud cover
90%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Chinsali is city in Muchinga Province, Zambia.

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical January day in Chinsali reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 8°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, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12718
22718
32718
42618
52618
62618
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292618
302618
312618

How January really feels in Chinsali

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Chinsali weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°20526.412.53.9
Feb26° / 18°15422.612.34.1
Mar26° / 18°13224.112.14.3
Apr26° / 17°4711.111.86.4
May26° / 15°51.211.58.3
Jun25° / 13°0011.49.0
Jul25° / 13°0011.49.1
Aug27° / 14°0011.78.4
Sep30° / 16°10.111.96.5
Oct32° / 19°92.212.25.0
Nov31° / 19°6811.412.54.3
Dec28° / 19°17023.712.64.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 95%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1892
2793
3793
4694
5694
6595
7595
8595
9496
10496
11496
12496
13496
14496
15595
16595
17595
18595
19595
20595
21595
22595
23595
24595
25595
26595
27595
28595
29595
30595
31595

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Chinsali gets around 205 mm of rain over 26.4 wet days in January, 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 86% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
184
285
385
485
585
685
785
885
985
1085
1185
1285
1385
1485
1585
1686
1786
1886
1986
2086
2186
2286
2386
2486
2586
2686
2786
2886
2986
3086
3185

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 60% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 39% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
126335
226236
326236
416237
516138
616138
716138
816138
916039
1016039
1116039
1216039
1306139
1406238
1506238
1606238
1706238
1806238
1906238
2006238
2106139
2206139
2306139
2406040
2505941
2605941
2705842
2805842
2905743
3005743
3105644

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of January to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:37 AM to 5:51 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:376:13
212.65:376:13
312.65:386:14
412.65:386:14
512.65:396:15
612.65:396:15
712.65:406:15
812.65:406:16
912.65:416:16
1012.65:416:16
1112.65:426:16
1212.65:426:17
1312.65:436:17
1412.65:436:17
1512.65:446:17
1612.65:446:18
1712.55:456:18
1812.55:456:18
1912.55:466:18
2012.55:466:18
2112.55:476:18
2212.55:476:19
2312.55:486:19
2412.55:486:19
2512.55:496:19
2612.55:496:19
2712.55:496:19
2812.55:506:19
2912.55:506:19
3012.55:516:19
3112.55:516:19

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5 kWh/m² to a high of 6.91 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 5 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Chinsali

In seasonPeak

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

Chinsali's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Chinsali?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chinsali.

What to pack for Chinsali in January

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

In January, Chinsali sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Chinsali in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chinsali peaks around February 16 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 15 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 16UV 17Jun 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Chinsali in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Chinsali is worst in September — around 54 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 9.2× the cleanest month (May, 6 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodSep 2153 µg/m³May 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb10Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May6Good
Jun8Good
Jul16Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep54Poor
Oct49Poor
Nov18Moderate
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Chinsali?

Chinsali sits at 10.5°S, 32.1°E, 1,286 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Isoka, 74 km away.

IsokaKasamaNakondeTundumaMpikaChitipaVwawaMlowo

Topography around Chinsali

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chinsali has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 155 m around an average of 1,289 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 218 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,099 m.

The land around Chinsali is covered by cropland (36%) and shrubs (22%) within 3 km, shrubs (36%), trees (25%) and grassland (25%) within 16 km, and trees (51%) and shrubs (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
155 m
16 km
218 m
80 km
1,099 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswetland
January weather nearby: Isoka 74 km · Kasama 105 km · Nakonde 152 km · Tunduma 157 km · Mpika 159 km · Chitipa 160 km · Vwawa 185 km · Mlowo 198 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 Chinsali (-10.5414°, 32.0816°, elevation 1,286 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).