Kafue weather in January

In January, Kafue sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 238 mm of rain across 25 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-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 9% 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 Kafue's 12th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kafue's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
19°
9th coldest
Rainfall
238 mm
25 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:51 AM – 6:42 PM
Cloud cover
81%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Kafue is human settlement.

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 Kafue 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 25°C and 30°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)
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

How January really feels in Kafue

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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

January 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 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
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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% 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 81%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21981
32080
42179
52179
62179
72179
82179
92080
102179
112080
121981
131882
141882
151783
161783
171783
181684
191684
201684
211783
221684
231684
241783
251783
261783
271882
281981
291981
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kafue gets around 238 mm of rain over 25 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
280
379
479
579
678
778
878
979
1079
1180
1280
1381
1481
1582
1683
1783
1883
1983
2083
2183
2283
2383
2483
2583
2683
2783
2883
2983
3083
3182

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 85% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 85% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
121484
221583
321583
421583
521583
621583
721583
821583
921583
1021583
1121583
1221484
1321484
1421385
1521385
1611386
1711287
1811287
1911287
2011287
2111287
2201288
2301288
2401288
2501288
2601288
2701288
2801288
2901288
3001288
3101288

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
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 5:43 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 6:38 PM to 6:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:436:38
212.95:436:38
312.95:446:39
412.95:446:39
512.95:456:39
612.95:466:40
712.95:466:40
812.95:476:40
912.95:476:41
1012.95:486:41
1112.95:486:41
1212.95:496:41
1312.95:506:41
1412.95:506:42
1512.95:516:42
1612.85:516:42
1712.85:526:42
1812.85:526:42
1912.85:536:42
2012.85:546:42
2112.85:546:42
2212.85:556:42
2312.85:556:42
2412.85:566:42
2512.85:566:42
2612.85:576:42
2712.75:576:42
2812.75:586:42
2912.75:586:42
3012.75:596:42
3112.75:596:42

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 4.78 kWh/m² to a high of 7.25 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
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kafue

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Kafue?

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

January is a reasonable time to visit Kafue for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kafue in January

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

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

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Kafue in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (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 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 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
January 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).