Choma weather in January

In January, Choma sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 222 mm of rain across 24.3 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-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 10% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of January to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Choma's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Choma's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
5th warmest
Overnight low
18°
9th coldest
Rainfall
222 mm
24.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:54 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
80%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.38 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Choma is human settlement in 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 Choma 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 23°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

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
292618
302618
312618

Choma weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°22224.312.94.3
Feb26° / 18°17521.112.64.5
Mar26° / 17°12517.612.15.5
Apr25° / 15°306.811.67.6
May24° / 12°4111.29.1
Jun22° / 10°10.3118.9
Jul22° / 10.411.18.9
Aug25° / 12°0011.49.4
Sep29° / 15°20.411.97.8
Oct30° / 18°153.212.46.0
Nov29° / 19°9613.812.85.0
Dec27° / 18°19922.8134.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22080
32080
42278
52278
62278
72278
82278
92278
102179
112179
122080
132080
141981
151981
161783
171882
181882
191783
201783
211882
221882
231882
242080
252080
262179
272179
282278
292377
302377
312476

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Choma gets around 222 mm of rain over 24.3 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 79% and peaks near 82% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
177
276
376
476
576
676
776
876
977
1077
1178
1279
1380
1480
1581
1681
1782
1882
1982
2082
2181
2281
2381
2480
2580
2679
2779
2879
2978
3078
3178

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 56% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 56% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1134155
2044155
3044155
4044155
5044155
6044254
7044254
8054154
9054154
10054154
11054154
12044155
13044155
14044056
15044056
16044056
17034057
18034057
19034057
20034057
21034057
22024058
23024058
24024157
25024157
26024256
27014257
28014257
29014257
30014356
31014356

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours at the start of January to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:46 AM to 6:03 AM, and sunset from 6:45 PM to 6:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:466:45
213.05:466:45
313.05:476:45
413.05:476:46
513.05:486:46
613.05:486:46
713.05:496:47
813.05:506:47
913.05:506:47
1012.95:516:47
1112.95:516:48
1212.95:526:48
1312.95:536:48
1412.95:536:48
1512.95:546:48
1612.95:546:48
1712.95:556:49
1812.95:556:49
1912.95:566:49
2012.95:576:49
2112.95:576:49
2212.85:586:49
2312.85:586:49
2412.85:596:49
2512.85:596:49
2612.86:006:49
2712.86:016:49
2812.86:016:48
2912.86:026:48
3012.86:026:48
3112.86:036:48

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.38 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.71 kWh/m² to a high of 7.24 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 5.38 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Choma

In seasonPeak

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

Choma'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 Choma?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Choma for sightseeing.

What to pack for Choma in January

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

In January, Choma sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 24 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Choma in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 17 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Choma peaks around January 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 8 (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 23UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan17Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Choma 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 Choma is worst in September — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1724 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May8Good
Jun8Good
Jul11Good
Aug18Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct19Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Choma?

Choma sits at 16.8°S, 27.0°E, 1,317 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Kalomo, 59 km away.

SinazongweMonzeNamwalaMazabukaItezhi-TezhiLivingstone

Topography around Choma

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Choma has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m around an average of 1,304 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 906 m.

The land around Choma is covered by grassland (40%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, grassland (43%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (29%), trees (24%) and cropland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
65 m
16 km
190 m
80 km
906 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Kalomo 59 km · Maamba 64 km · Sinazongwe 71 km · Monze 79 km · Namwala 131 km · Mazabuka 133 km · Itezhi-Tezhi 156 km · Livingstone 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 Choma (-16.8089°, 26.9875°, elevation 1,317 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).