Kafue in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Kafue sees average daytime highs around 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 650 mm of rain over about 70 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels muggy.
Summer is Kafue's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Kafue's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 27°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 19°C
- Rainfall
- 650 mm
- 70 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.2
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Kafue in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C.
A typical summer day in Kafue reaches about 27°C and drops to 19°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
How summer really feels in Kafue
Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
summer 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 the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27° / 19° | 238 | 25 | 12.8 | 4.1 |
| Feb | 27° / 19° | 180 | 21.5 | 12.5 | 4.3 |
| Mar | 27° / 18° | 131 | 18.7 | 12.1 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 27° / 16° | 27 | 5.6 | 11.7 | 7.5 |
| May | 25° / 14° | 2 | 0.6 | 11.3 | 9.0 |
| Jun | 23° / 12° | 1 | 0.1 | 11.1 | 9.3 |
| Jul | 23° / 11° | 1 | 0.1 | 11.2 | 9.2 |
| Aug | 26° / 14° | 0 | 0 | 11.5 | 9.1 |
| Sep | 30° / 17° | 2 | 0.3 | 11.9 | 7.0 |
| Oct | 32° / 20° | 13 | 2.9 | 12.4 | 5.2 |
| Nov | 31° / 20° | 91 | 13.1 | 12.7 | 4.3 |
| Dec | 28° / 19° | 232 | 23.6 | 12.9 | 4.2 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Kafue gets around 650 mm of rain over 70 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 8 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min in early December to 12 h 18 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 5.4 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Kafue
In summer, Kafue overlaps 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.
Is summer a good time to visit Kafue?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a reasonable time to visit Kafue for sightseeing.
What to pack for Kafue in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Kafue sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 70 days see rain.
UV index in Kafue in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 15 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 16 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 12 | Extreme |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 14 | Extreme |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
Air quality in Kafue in Summer
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where summer 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 22 | 28 | 36 | 37 | 26 | 15 | 11 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Moderate |
| Feb | 14 | Moderate |
| Mar | 13 | Moderate |
| Apr | 14 | Moderate |
| May | 17 | Moderate |
| Jun | 22 | Moderate |
| Jul | 28 | Moderate |
| Aug | 36 | Poor |
| Sep | 37 | Poor |
| Oct | 26 | Moderate |
| Nov | 15 | Moderate |
| Dec | 11 | Good |
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.
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
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.