Chongwe weather in January

In January, Chongwe sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 215 mm of rain across 25.1 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of January to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Chongwe's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chongwe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
7th warmest
Overnight low
19°
9th coldest
Rainfall
215 mm
25.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:50 AM – 6:39 PM
Cloud cover
83%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Chongwe is municipality of 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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Chongwe 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 29°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12719
22719
32719
42719
52719
62719
72719
82719
92719
102719
112719
122719
132719
142719
152719
162719
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302719
312719

Chongwe weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 7th-warmest and 1st-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 83%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11684
21783
31783
41882
51981
61981
71981
81882
91882
101882
111882
121783
131684
141684
151684
161585
171585
181486
191486
201585
211684
221684
231684
241783
251684
261684
271783
281783
291783
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Chongwe gets around 215 mm of rain over 25.1 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 81% and peaks near 83% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
180
279
379
479
579
679
779
880
980
1080
1181
1282
1382
1482
1583
1683
1783
1883
1983
2083
2183
2283
2383
2482
2582
2682
2782
2882
2981
3081
3181

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 83% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 83% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
121682
221682
321682
421682
521682
621682
721682
831681
931681
1021682
1121583
1221583
1321583
1421484
1521484
1621484
1721484
1821385
1921385
2021385
2111386
2211386
2311386
2411485
2511485
2611485
2711485
2811485
2911485
3011485
3111584

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of January to 12 h 42 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 5:42 AM to 5:58 AM, and sunset from 6:35 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:426:35
212.95:426:36
312.95:436:36
412.95:436:36
512.95:446:37
612.95:446:37
712.95:456:37
812.95:456:37
912.95:466:38
1012.95:476:38
1112.95:476:38
1212.85:486:38
1312.85:486:39
1412.85:496:39
1512.85:496:39
1612.85:506:39
1712.85:516:39
1812.85:516:39
1912.85:526:39
2012.85:526:40
2112.85:536:40
2212.85:536:40
2312.85:546:40
2412.85:546:40
2512.75:556:40
2612.75:556:40
2712.75:566:40
2812.75:576:39
2912.75:576:39
3012.75:586:39
3112.75:586:39

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.31 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 — January's 5.31 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
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Chongwe

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Chongwe?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Chongwe for sightseeing.

What to pack for Chongwe in January

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

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

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Chongwe 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 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 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 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
January 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).