Chinsali weather in May

In May, Chinsali sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 5 mm of rain across 1.2 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-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 51% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of May to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Chinsali's 5th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chinsali's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
6th warmest
Overnight low
15°
4th coldest
Rainfall
5 mm
1.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:02 AM – 5:33 PM
Cloud cover
41%
5th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.3
out of 10

Chinsali is city in Muchinga Province, Zambia.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical May day in Chinsali reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12616
22616
32616
42616
52616
62616
72616
82616
92616
102616
112616
122716
132715
142715
152715
162715
172615
182615
192615
202615
212615
222615
232615
242615
252615
262615
272615
282615
292615
302615
312615

How May really feels in Chinsali

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May 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

May 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 May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 8th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 25%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27228
37327
47327
57426
67426
77525
87525
97525
107525
117525
127525
137525
147525
157525
167525
177426
187426
197426
207426
217426
227624
237624
247624
257624
267723
277822
287822
297921
308020
318020

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Chinsali gets around 5 mm of rain over 1.2 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 4% and peaks near 8% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
18
28
38
47
57
67
76
86
96
105
115
124
134
143
153
163
172
182
192
202
212
222
232
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 56% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1234334
2254431
3284428
4304426
5334423
6354421
7384319
8404317
9434315
10454213
11484211
1250419
1352417
1454406
1555405
1657394
1759383
1862362
1963352
2064342
2165332
2268311
2369301
2471281
2572271
2674251
2776231
2878211
2980191
3082171
3185150

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of May to 11 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:00 AM to 6:06 AM, and sunset from 5:38 PM to 5:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:005:38
211.66:005:37
311.66:005:37
411.66:005:37
511.66:005:36
611.66:015:36
711.66:015:36
811.66:015:35
911.66:015:35
1011.66:015:35
1111.66:015:35
1211.56:025:34
1311.56:025:34
1411.56:025:34
1511.56:025:34
1611.56:025:33
1711.56:035:33
1811.56:035:33
1911.56:035:33
2011.56:035:33
2111.56:045:33
2211.56:045:33
2311.56:045:32
2411.56:045:32
2511.56:045:32
2611.56:055:32
2711.56:055:32
2811.46:055:32
2911.46:065:32
3011.46:065:32
3111.46:065:32

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.41 kWh/m².

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 — May's 5.41 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Chinsali

In seasonPeak

None of Chinsali's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

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 May a good time to visit Chinsali?

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

8.3
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
8.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Chinsali for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Chinsali in May

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

In May, Chinsali sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Chinsali in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).