Kafue weather in December

In December, Kafue sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 232 mm of rain across 23.6 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 12% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

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

Daytime high
28°
4th warmest
Overnight low
19°
10th coldest
Rainfall
232 mm
23.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:35 AM – 6:31 PM
Cloud cover
78%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Kafue is human settlement.

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 Kafue 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 on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12920
22920
32920
42820
52820
62820
72820
82820
92820
102820
112820
122820
132819
142819
152819
162819
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302719
312719

How December really feels in Kafue

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Kafue 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°2382512.84.1
Feb27° / 19°18021.512.54.3
Mar27° / 18°13118.712.15.2
Apr27° / 16°275.611.77.5
May25° / 14°20.611.39.0
Jun23° / 12°10.111.19.3
Jul23° / 11°10.111.29.2
Aug26° / 14°0011.59.1
Sep30° / 17°20.311.97.0
Oct32° / 20°132.912.45.2
Nov31° / 20°9113.112.74.3
Dec28° / 19°23223.612.94.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43169
53169
62971
72872
82773
92674
102476
112377
122278
132179
142080
152080
161981
171981
181981
191882
201882
211783
221783
231783
241783
251882
261882
271783
281882
291882
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kafue gets around 232 mm of rain over 23.6 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 76% and peaks near 81% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
162
263
364
465
566
667
769
870
972
1073
1175
1276
1377
1478
1579
1679
1780
1880
1980
2081
2181
2281
2381
2481
2581
2681
2781
2881
2981
3081
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 72% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 72% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
19133147
29133048
38133050
47122952
57122853
66112756
75112658
85102560
9492463
10492364
11382267
12372169
13272071
14261973
15251875
16141778
17141679
18131680
19131581
20131482
21121483
22121483
23121384
24021385
25021385
26021385
27021385
28011386
29011386
30011485
31021484

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
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 December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 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 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:31 AM to 5:43 AM, and sunset from 6:23 PM to 6:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:316:23
212.95:316:24
312.95:316:24
412.95:326:25
512.95:326:25
612.95:326:26
712.95:326:27
812.95:336:27
912.95:336:28
1012.95:336:28
1112.95:346:29
1212.95:346:29
1312.95:346:30
1412.95:356:30
1512.95:356:31
1612.95:356:31
1712.95:366:32
1812.95:366:32
1912.95:376:33
2012.95:376:33
2112.95:386:34
2212.95:386:34
2312.95:396:35
2412.95:396:35
2512.95:406:36
2612.95:406:36
2712.95:416:37
2812.95:416:37
2912.95:426:37
3012.95:426:38
3112.95:436:38

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.55 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.78 kWh/m² to a high of 7.25 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.55 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
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 Kafue

In seasonPeak

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

Kafue'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 Kafue?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Kafue for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kafue in December

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

In December, Kafue sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 24 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Kafue 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 Kafue 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
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Kafue 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 Kafue is worst in September — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateSep 1037 µg/m³Dec 2112 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug36Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct26Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kafue?

Kafue sits at 15.8°S, 28.2°E, 996 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Chilanga Township, 24 km away.

Topography around Kafue

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kafue has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 242 m around an average of 1,014 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 379 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,160 m.

The land around Kafue is covered by trees (31%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 3 km, grassland (34%), shrubs (26%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (27%), trees (25%) and shrubs (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
242 m
16 km
379 m
80 km
1,160 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Chilanga Township 24 km · Chisankane 37 km · Nampundwe 40 km · Lusaka 42 km · Namalombwe 42 km · Mazabuka 47 km · Ntandabale 49 km · Madido 51 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 Kafue (-15.7691°, 28.1814°, elevation 996 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).