Chipata weather in December

In December, Chipata sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 240 mm of rain across 25.2 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 29°C in the first days to 26°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Chipata's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chipata's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
4th warmest
Overnight low
19°
11th coldest
Rainfall
240 mm
25.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:22 AM – 6:10 PM
Cloud cover
80%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Chipata is city.

Founded
1899

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 29°C in the first days to 26°C by the end.

A typical December day in Chipata 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 24°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12919
22919
32919
42919
52919
62819
72819
82819
92819
102819
112819
122819
132819
142719
152719
162719
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282619
292619
302619
312619

Chipata weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 19°27927.412.73.8
Feb26° / 18°21922.712.54.2
Mar26° / 18°16621.612.14.8
Apr26° / 16°357.311.77.2
May25° / 14°51.211.48.7
Jun24° / 12°10.111.29.1
Jul23° / 11°10.211.39.0
Aug26° / 13°10.211.58.8
Sep29° / 16°20.411.97.5
Oct31° / 19°183.412.35.7
Nov30° / 20°781212.64.6
Dec27° / 19°24025.212.84.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43268
53169
63070
72773
82773
92575
102476
112278
122179
131981
141882
151684
161585
171585
181387
191387
201387
211387
221387
231387
241387
251387
261387
271387
281387
291387
301387
311288

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Chipata gets around 240 mm of rain over 25.2 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 81% and peaks near 87% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
164
266
367
469
571
672
774
875
977
1078
1179
1281
1382
1483
1584
1684
1785
1886
1986
2086
2186
2286
2386
2486
2586
2686
2786
2886
2987
3087
3187

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 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 59% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
18174926
28164828
37154830
46154733
55144635
65134438
74134340
83124143
93114046
103113848
112103652
122103553
13293356
14193159
15182962
16182863
17172666
18062569
19062470
20052372
21052273
22052174
23042076
24042076
25031978
26031978
27021880
28021880
29021880
30011881
31011980

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:17 AM to 5:29 AM, and sunset from 6:02 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:176:02
212.85:176:02
312.85:176:03
412.85:176:03
512.85:186:04
612.85:186:04
712.85:186:05
812.85:196:05
912.85:196:06
1012.85:196:06
1112.85:206:07
1212.85:206:07
1312.85:206:08
1412.85:216:09
1512.85:216:09
1612.85:226:10
1712.85:226:10
1812.85:226:11
1912.85:236:11
2012.85:236:12
2112.85:246:12
2212.85:246:13
2312.85:256:13
2412.85:256:13
2512.85:266:14
2612.85:266:14
2712.85:276:15
2812.85:276:15
2912.85:286:16
3012.85:286:16
3112.85:296:16

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.88 kWh/m² to a high of 6.82 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.61 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.0Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Chipata

In seasonPeak

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

Chipata'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 December a good time to visit Chipata?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Chipata for sightseeing.

What to pack for Chipata in December

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

In December, Chipata sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Chipata in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chipata peaks around January 19 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 highExtremeJan 19UV 16Jun 18UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Chipata 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 Chipata is worst in August — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodAug 1926 µg/m³Dec 1811 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct19Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Chipata?

Chipata sits at 13.6°S, 32.6°E, 1,147 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Mchinji, 31 km away.

KateteKasunguSindaMponelaLilongwePetaukeLundazi

Topography around Chipata

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chipata has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 498 m around an average of 1,209 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 735 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,173 m.

The land around Chipata is covered by artificial surfaces (34%), shrubs (28%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, cropland (34%), trees (24%) and shrubs (24%) within 16 km, and cropland (38%), trees (25%) and shrubs (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
498 m
16 km
735 m
80 km
1,173 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Mchinji 31 km · Katete 77 km · Kasungu 112 km · Sinda 115 km · Mponela 118 km · Lilongwe 128 km · Petauke 159 km · Lundazi 160 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 Chipata (-13.6333°, 32.65°, elevation 1,147 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).