Chipata weather in March

In March, Chipata sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 166 mm of rain across 21.6 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-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 11% of the time in March, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Chipata's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chipata's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
5th warmest
Overnight low
18°
7th coldest
Rainfall
166 mm
21.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
5:56 AM – 6:02 PM
Cloud cover
73%
9th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Chipata is city.

Founded
1899

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 Chipata 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, 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
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292617
302617
312617

Chipata weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11585
21585
31684
41783
51783
61882
72080
82080
92179
102179
112278
122476
132476
142575
152575
162674
172773
182773
192971
202971
213169
223169
233367
243565
253664
263763
273961
284060
294258
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Chipata gets around 166 mm of rain over 21.6 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 70% and peaks near 79% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
179
278
377
477
576
676
775
874
974
1074
1173
1273
1373
1473
1573
1673
1772
1872
1971
2070
2169
2268
2366
2465
2563
2662
2760
2858
2956
3054
3152

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

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

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1012673
2012772
3012871
4012970
5013069
6013168
7023266
8023266
9023365
10023464
11023464
12023464
13023563
14033562
15033463
16033463
17043561
18043561
19043660
20053659
21053857
22053956
23064153
24064351
25074448
26184646
27184743
28194941
291105138
301115236
311125433

Wind in March

Winds average 9 km/h in March.

Across March, 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
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 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 24 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 5:54 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 6:11 PM to 5:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:546:11
212.35:546:11
312.35:546:10
412.25:556:10
512.25:556:09
612.25:556:08
712.25:556:08
812.25:556:07
912.25:556:06
1012.25:566:06
1112.25:566:05
1212.15:566:05
1312.15:566:04
1412.15:566:03
1512.15:566:03
1612.15:566:02
1712.15:566:01
1812.15:566:01
1912.15:576:00
2012.05:575:59
2112.05:575:58
2212.05:575:58
2312.05:575:57
2412.05:575:56
2512.05:575:56
2612.05:575:55
2712.05:575:54
2811.95:575:53
2911.95:575:53
3011.95:575:52
3111.95:575:51

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.46 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 — March's 5.46 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Chipata

In seasonPeak

In March, 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 March a good time to visit Chipata?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Chipata for sightseeing.

What to pack for Chipata in March

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

In March, Chipata sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Chipata in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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 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 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 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
March 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).