Kapiri Mposhi weather in December

In December, Kapiri Mposhi sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 226 mm of rain across 24.5 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-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 December, and the air most often feels muggy.

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

Daytime high
27°
4th warmest
Overnight low
19°
10th coldest
Rainfall
226 mm
24.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:37 AM – 6:26 PM
Cloud cover
82%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Kapiri Mposhi is in Kapiri Mposhi District.

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 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Kapiri Mposhi reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 30°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)
12819
22819
32819
42819
52819
62819
72819
82719
92719
102719
112719
122719
132719
142719
152719
162719
172719
182719
192719
202718
212718
222718
232718
242718
252718
262718
272718
282718
292718
302718
312718

Kapiri Mposhi 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
Jan26° / 18°25326.412.73.9
Feb26° / 18°19822.412.54.2
Mar27° / 18°14119.412.15.1
Apr26° / 16°255.611.77.4
May25° / 13°30.811.48.8
Jun23° / 11°0011.29.2
Jul23° / 10°10.111.39.1
Aug26° / 13°00.111.59.0
Sep29° / 16°10.411.97.1
Oct31° / 19°132.712.35.5
Nov30° / 19°9313.112.64.6
Dec27° / 19°22624.512.84.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 83%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
32872
42872
52674
62575
72476
82278
92278
102080
111981
121882
131783
141684
151585
161486
171486
181387
191288
201189
211189
221189
231189
241189
251189
261288
271189
281189
291189
301189
311189

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kapiri Mposhi gets around 226 mm of rain over 24.5 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 79% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
164
265
366
467
569
670
772
873
975
1076
1178
1279
1380
1481
1582
1683
1783
1883
1984
2084
2184
2284
2384
2484
2584
2684
2784
2884
2984
3083
3183

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 46% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 46% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
16145426
26145327
35135428
45135230
54125331
64115233
73115234
83105136
9295138
10285139
11275041
12274943
13164944
14154846
15154747
16144648
17144550
18134452
19134452
20134353
21134254
22134155
23134056
24134056
25133957
26033958
27023959
28023959
29023959
30023959
31023959

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
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 December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 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 5:32 AM to 5:44 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 6:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:326:18
212.85:326:19
312.85:336:19
412.85:336:20
512.85:336:20
612.85:336:21
712.85:346:21
812.85:346:22
912.85:346:22
1012.85:356:23
1112.85:356:23
1212.85:356:24
1312.85:366:25
1412.85:366:25
1512.85:366:26
1612.85:376:26
1712.85:376:27
1812.85:386:27
1912.85:386:28
2012.85:396:28
2112.85:396:29
2212.85:406:29
2312.85:406:30
2412.85:406:30
2512.85:416:30
2612.85:416:31
2712.85:426:31
2812.85:426:32
2912.85:436:32
3012.85:446:33
3112.85:446:33

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.32 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.97 kWh/m² to a high of 7.09 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.32 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Kapiri Mposhi

In seasonPeak

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

Kapiri Mposhi'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 Kapiri Mposhi?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Kapiri Mposhi for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kapiri Mposhi in December

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

In December, Kapiri Mposhi 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 Kapiri Mposhi 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 Kapiri Mposhi peaks around January 21 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 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 21UV 16Jun 22UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Kapiri Mposhi 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 Kapiri Mposhi is worst in August — around 42 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.7× the cleanest month (April, 9 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModeratePoorModerateAug 1841 µg/m³Apr 199 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar11Good
Apr9Good
May10Good
Jun15Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug42Poor
Sep33Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kapiri Mposhi?

Kapiri Mposhi sits at 14.0°S, 28.7°E, 1,265 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Kabwe, 58 km away.

MpongweMkushiLuanshyaNdolaMapaloKitweKalulushi

Topography around Kapiri Mposhi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kapiri Mposhi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 86 m around an average of 1,263 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 246 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 861 m.

The land around Kapiri Mposhi is covered by artificial surfaces (34%), cropland (27%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, cropland (30%), shrubs (26%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and trees (36%), grassland (26%) and cropland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
86 m
16 km
246 m
80 km
861 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Kabwe 58 km · Mpongwe 76 km · Mkushi 87 km · Luanshya 97 km · Ndola 113 km · Mapalo 115 km · Kitwe 139 km · Kalulushi 140 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 Kapiri Mposhi (-13.9715°, 28.6699°, elevation 1,265 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).