Kitwe weather in December

In December, Kitwe sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 257 mm of rain across 27.7 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-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 5% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kitwe's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kitwe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
18°
10th coldest
Rainfall
257 mm
27.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:41 AM – 6:26 PM
Cloud cover
83%
10th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Kitwe is city in Zambia.

Founded
1936

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 Kitwe reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°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 29°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)
12818
22818
32718
42718
52718
62718
72718
82718
92718
102718
112718
122718
132718
142718
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292618
302618
312618

Kitwe weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°27728.512.73.7
Feb26° / 18°23124.212.43.9
Mar27° / 18°17321.912.14.7
Apr27° / 16°346.811.77.0
May27° / 14°30.811.48.4
Jun25° / 12°00.111.39.2
Jul25° / 11°0011.39.3
Aug28° / 14°0011.68.4
Sep30° / 17°10.211.96.3
Oct32° / 19°173.612.35.0
Nov30° / 19°1231712.64.3
Dec27° / 18°25727.712.73.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% 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 86%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22575
32476
42278
52278
62080
71981
81882
91783
101783
111585
121486
131486
141288
151288
161288
171090
181090
191090
201090
211090
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29892
30892
31991

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kitwe gets around 257 mm of rain over 27.7 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 89% and peaks near 92% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
180
281
381
482
583
684
785
886
987
1088
1189
1290
1390
1491
1591
1691
1791
1891
1991
2091
2191
2291
2391
2492
2592
2692
2792
2892
2991
3091
3191

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 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 49% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1385534
2385435
3375436
4375238
5265339
6265240
7255241
8255043
9145144
10145045
11135046
12134947
13134848
14034750
15024751
16024652
17024553
18024454
19024454
20024355
21024355
22024256
23024256
24024256
25024157
26024256
27014257
28014257
29014356
30014356
31014455

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 42 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 5:36 AM to 5:48 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)
112.75:366:18
212.75:366:18
312.75:366:19
412.75:376:19
512.75:376:20
612.75:376:21
712.75:386:21
812.75:386:22
912.75:386:22
1012.75:396:23
1112.75:396:23
1212.75:396:24
1312.75:406:24
1412.75:406:25
1512.75:406:25
1612.75:416:26
1712.85:416:26
1812.85:426:27
1912.85:426:27
2012.85:436:28
2112.85:436:28
2212.85:446:29
2312.85:446:29
2412.85:446:30
2512.85:456:30
2612.85:456:31
2712.85:466:31
2812.75:466:31
2912.75:476:32
3012.75:476:32
3112.75:486:33

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.33 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.07 kWh/m² to a high of 7 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.33 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Kitwe

In seasonPeak

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

Kitwe'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 Kitwe?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kitwe.

What to pack for Kitwe in December

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

In December, Kitwe sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Kitwe 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 Kitwe peaks around March 10 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 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 highExtremeMar 10UV 15Jun 19UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Kitwe 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 Kitwe is worst in August — around 55 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.2× the cleanest month (May, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModeratePoorModerateAug 2054 µg/m³May 1011 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun19Moderate
Jul37Poor
Aug55Unhealthy
Sep48Poor
Oct30Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec14Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kitwe?

Kitwe sits at 12.8°S, 28.2°E, 1,224 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Kalulushi, 14 km away.

Topography around Kitwe

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kitwe has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 75 m around an average of 1,229 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 168 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 476 m.

The land around Kitwe is covered by artificial surfaces (58%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, trees (29%) and grassland (29%) within 16 km, and trees (60%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
75 m
16 km
168 m
80 km
476 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Kalulushi 14 km · Chambishi 26 km · Mufulira 28 km · Luanshya 43 km · Mokambo 44 km · Chingola 47 km · Ndola 49 km · Mapalo 52 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 Kitwe (-12.8024°, 28.2132°, elevation 1,224 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).