Katete in Summer

In summer (December, January and February), Katete sees average daytime highs around 27°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 667 mm of rain over about 70 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs ease from about 30°C in early December to 27°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels muggy.

Summer is Katete's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Katete's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
27°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
20°C
Rainfall
667 mm
70 wet days
Avg wind
9 km/h
Travel score
4.1
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Katete in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 30°C in early December to 27°C by late February.

A typical summer day in Katete reaches about 27°C and drops to 20°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.

15°20°25°30°35°DecJanFeb

How summer really feels in Katete

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.

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

summer 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 the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Katete gets around 667 mm of rain over 70 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%80%100%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of summer feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Summer

Winds average 9 km/h across summer.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min in early December to 12 h 18 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 5.5 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in summer

Hazard calendar for Katete

In seasonPeak

In summer, Katete overlaps 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 summer a good time to visit Katete?

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.

4.1
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

summer is a reasonable time to visit Katete for sightseeing.

What to pack for Katete in Summer

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

In summer, Katete sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 70 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Katete in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 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 Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where summer 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
Summer 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.