Chongwe weather in December

In December, Chongwe sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 172 mm of rain across 22.5 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of December to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Chongwe's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chongwe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
4th warmest
Overnight low
19°
10th coldest
Rainfall
172 mm
22.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:34 AM – 6:29 PM
Cloud cover
80%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Chongwe is municipality of Zambia.

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Chongwe reaches about 28°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 25°C and 31°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)
12920
22920
32920
42920
52820
62820
72820
82820
92820
102820
112820
122819
132819
142819
152819
162719
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302719
312719

Chongwe 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
Jan27° / 19°21525.112.84.1
Feb27° / 19°16321.712.54.3
Mar27° / 18°10918.212.15.3
Apr26° / 16°23611.77.4
May25° / 14°30.811.38.8
Jun23° / 12°10.311.19.1
Jul23° / 11°10.111.29.0
Aug26° / 14°10.211.59.0
Sep29° / 17°20.311.97.1
Oct32° / 20°92.312.35.3
Nov31° / 21°691212.74.5
Dec28° / 19°17222.512.94.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% 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 (%)
13268
23268
33169
43169
53070
62971
72773
82674
92476
102377
112179
122080
131882
141882
151783
161684
171684
181585
191486
201486
211486
221486
231486
241486
251486
261585
271585
281684
291684
301585
311684

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Chongwe gets around 172 mm of rain over 22.5 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 73% and peaks near 80% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
157
258
359
460
561
663
764
866
968
1069
1171
1272
1373
1474
1575
1676
1777
1877
1977
2078
2178
2278
2379
2479
2579
2680
2780
2880
2980
3080
3180

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 67% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 67% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
19143542
29143543
38133444
48133346
57133348
66123249
76113251
85113153
94103056
10492958
11382960
12382861
13272764
14262567
15252469
16252370
17142273
18142174
19141976
20131878
21131779
22131779
23031681
24031681
25031582
26031582
27031582
28021583
29021583
30021583
31021583

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 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
138calm
148calm
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 48 min at the start of December to 12 h 54 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 5:30 AM to 5:41 AM, and sunset from 6:20 PM to 6:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:306:20
212.95:306:21
312.95:306:21
412.95:306:22
512.95:316:23
612.95:316:23
712.95:316:24
812.95:316:24
912.95:326:25
1012.95:326:25
1112.95:326:26
1212.95:336:26
1312.95:336:27
1412.95:346:28
1512.95:346:28
1612.95:346:29
1712.95:356:29
1812.95:356:30
1912.95:366:30
2012.95:366:31
2112.95:366:31
2212.95:376:32
2312.95:376:32
2412.95:386:32
2512.95:386:33
2612.95:396:33
2712.95:396:34
2812.95:406:34
2912.95:406:35
3012.95:416:35
3112.95:416:35

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.7 kWh/m² to a high of 7.2 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.58 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Bright
36.0Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
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 December

Hazard calendar for Chongwe

In seasonPeak

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

Chongwe'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 Chongwe?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Chongwe for sightseeing.

What to pack for Chongwe in December

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

In December, Chongwe sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Chongwe in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chongwe peaks around January 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 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 23UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan17Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Chongwe 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 Chongwe is worst in August — around 45 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.2× the cleanest month (December, 14 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateAug 1744 µg/m³Dec 2114 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb17Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun27Moderate
Jul37Poor
Aug45Poor
Sep38Poor
Oct27Moderate
Nov19Moderate
Dec14Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Chongwe?

Chongwe sits at 15.3°S, 28.7°E, 1,102 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Palabana, 20 km away.

Topography around Chongwe

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chongwe has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 98 m around an average of 1,082 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 316 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,104 m.

The land around Chongwe is covered by grassland (32%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 3 km, grassland (37%), shrubs (23%) and cropland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (35%), shrubs (27%) and grassland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
98 m
16 km
316 m
80 km
1,104 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Palabana 20 km · Ntandabale 29 km · Madido 33 km · Chisankane 39 km · Lusaka 43 km · Chunga 44 km · Chilanga Township 52 km · Namalombwe 53 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 Chongwe (-15.3292°, 28.682°, elevation 1,102 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).