Katete weather in December

In December, Katete sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 217 mm of rain across 23.8 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 30°C in the first days to 27°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% 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 Katete's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Katete's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
4th warmest
Overnight low
20°
11th coldest
Rainfall
217 mm
23.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:23 AM – 6:13 PM
Cloud cover
79%
10th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Katete is town in Zambia.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 30°C in the first days to 27°C by the end.

A typical December day in Katete reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°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 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13021
23020
33020
43020
53020
63020
72920
82920
92920
102920
112920
122920
132920
142820
152820
162820
172820
182820
192820
202820
212820
222820
232820
242820
252820
262820
272820
282720
292720
302720
312720

How December really feels in Katete

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.

Katete 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° / 20°25426.112.73.9
Feb27° / 19°19620.312.54.4
Mar27° / 19°12717.912.15.2
Apr27° / 18°224.711.77.6
May26° / 16°30.611.48.7
Jun24° / 14°00.111.29.2
Jul24° / 13°0011.39.2
Aug27° / 15°10.311.58.7
Sep30° / 17°20.411.96.6
Oct32° / 20°122.112.35.0
Nov32° / 21°6710.712.74.1
Dec28° / 20°21723.812.83.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% 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 (%)
13961
23862
33862
43664
53466
63367
73169
83070
92872
102674
112476
122476
132278
142080
151981
161783
171783
181684
191585
201585
211585
221585
231585
241585
251486
261486
271486
281486
291486
301486
311585

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Katete gets around 217 mm of rain over 23.8 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 84% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
157
259
360
462
564
665
767
869
971
1072
1174
1276
1377
1479
1580
1681
1782
1882
1983
2083
2184
2284
2384
2484
2584
2683
2783
2883
2983
3082
3182

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 (%)
19163243
28153145
38153047
47143049
57132951
66122854
75112757
85102659
94102561
10492463
11382366
12372268
13372070
14261973
15251875
16251776
17141679
18141580
19141481
20131383
21131383
22131284
23131284
24021187
25021187
26021187
27011188
28011188
29011188
30011287
31011287

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
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 5:18 AM to 5:30 AM, and sunset from 6:05 PM to 6:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:186:05
212.85:196:05
312.85:196:06
412.85:196:06
512.85:196:07
612.85:206:07
712.85:206:08
812.85:206:08
912.85:206:09
1012.85:216:09
1112.85:216:10
1212.85:216:11
1312.85:226:11
1412.85:226:12
1512.85:236:12
1612.85:236:13
1712.85:236:13
1812.85:246:14
1912.85:246:14
2012.85:256:15
2112.85:256:15
2212.85:266:16
2312.85:266:16
2412.85:276:16
2512.85:276:17
2612.85:286:17
2712.85:286:18
2812.85:296:18
2912.85:296:19
3012.85:306:19
3112.85:306:19

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.79 kWh/m² to a high of 6.93 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.65 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
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 Katete

In seasonPeak

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

Katete'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 Katete?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Katete.

What to pack for Katete in December

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

In December, Katete sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 24 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Katete in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Katete peaks around January 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 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 20UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Katete 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 Katete is worst in August — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.9× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2126 µg/m³Dec 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May7Good
Jun10Good
Jul18Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Katete?

Katete sits at 14.1°S, 32.1°E, 1,529 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Sinda, 39 km away.

ChipataPetaukeMchinjiNyimbaLilongweSongoMponela

Topography around Katete

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Katete has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 564 m around an average of 1,193 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 757 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,100 m.

The land around Katete is covered by trees (49%) and cropland (21%) within 3 km, cropland (42%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and cropland (38%), shrubs (27%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
564 m
16 km
757 m
80 km
1,100 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Sinda 39 km · Chipata 77 km · Petauke 85 km · Mchinji 90 km · Nyimba 148 km · Lilongwe 184 km · Songo 187 km · Mponela 188 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 Katete (-14.05°, 32.0833°, elevation 1,529 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).