Livingstone weather in January

In January, Livingstone sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 208 mm of rain across 21.2 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Livingstone's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Livingstone's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
6th warmest
Overnight low
20°
9th coldest
Rainfall
208 mm
21.2 wet days
Daylight
13 hours
5:57 AM – 6:55 PM
Cloud cover
73%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Livingstone is city in Zambia.

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Livingstone reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12920
22920
32920
42920
52920
62920
72920
82920
92920
102920
112920
122920
132920
142920
152920
162920
172920
182920
192920
202920
212920
222920
232920
242920
252920
262920
272920
282920
292920
302920
312920

How January really feels in Livingstone

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Livingstone weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 20°20821.212.93.9
Feb29° / 20°16217.412.64.3
Mar29° / 19°971412.15.0
Apr29° / 17°203.811.66.8
May27° / 13°20.511.28.6
Jun25° / 11°10.2119.3
Jul25° / 10°00119.4
Aug28° / 13°0011.48.1
Sep32° / 17°30.511.95.3
Oct34° / 21°11312.43.6
Nov32° / 21°8813.512.83.5
Dec30° / 20°18120.6133.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33169
43268
53268
63268
73268
83268
93268
103169
113169
123070
133070
142971
152971
162872
172773
182773
192773
202773
212773
222773
232773
242773
252773
262872
272872
282872
293070
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Livingstone gets around 208 mm of rain over 21.2 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 69% and peaks near 73% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
165
264
364
463
563
663
763
864
965
1066
1167
1268
1369
1470
1571
1671
1772
1872
1973
2073
2173
2273
2373
2472
2572
2671
2770
2870
2969
3069
3168

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 74% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 75% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
11624690
21624690
31724680
41724671
51823671
61823671
71822681
81822681
91821691
101820701
111819711
121718731
131718731
140717751
150617761
160616771
170616762
180515782
190515782
200515782
210515782
220516772
230416782
240417772
250417772
260418762
270418762
280419761
290419761
300419761
310420751

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
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 January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:48 AM to 6:06 AM, and sunset from 6:51 PM to 6:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.15:486:51
213.05:496:52
313.05:496:52
413.05:506:52
513.05:506:53
613.05:516:53
713.05:526:53
813.05:526:53
913.05:536:54
1013.05:536:54
1113.05:546:54
1213.05:556:54
1313.05:556:54
1413.05:566:54
1513.05:566:55
1613.05:576:55
1713.05:586:55
1812.95:586:55
1912.95:596:55
2012.95:596:55
2112.96:006:55
2212.96:016:55
2312.96:016:55
2412.96:026:55
2512.96:026:55
2612.96:036:55
2712.96:046:55
2812.86:046:55
2912.86:056:54
3012.86:056:54
3112.86:066:54

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.9 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.71 kWh/m² to a high of 7.18 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 5.9 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Intense
36.0Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Intense
86.0Intense
96.0Bright
106.0Bright
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Livingstone

In seasonPeak

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

Livingstone'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 January a good time to visit Livingstone?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Livingstone.

What to pack for Livingstone in January

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

In January, Livingstone sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Livingstone in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Livingstone peaks around January 18 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 8 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 18UV 16Jun 23UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Livingstone in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Livingstone is worst in September — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.0× the cleanest month (April, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1828 µg/m³Apr 136 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May8Good
Jun11Good
Jul12Good
Aug19Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Livingstone?

Livingstone sits at 17.8°S, 25.9°E, 969 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Victoria Falls, 10 km away.

KasaneHwangeKalomoMaambaChomaSeshekeKatima Mulilo

Topography around Livingstone

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Livingstone has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 91 m around an average of 935 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 373 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 785 m.

The land around Livingstone is covered by artificial surfaces (38%) and trees (37%) within 3 km, shrubs (45%), grassland (25%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and shrubs (42%), grassland (28%) and trees (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
91 m
16 km
373 m
80 km
785 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Victoria Falls 10 km · Kasane 74 km · Hwange 90 km · Kalomo 113 km · Maamba 147 km · Choma 166 km · Sesheke 170 km · Katima Mulilo 171 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 Livingstone (-17.8419°, 25.8543°, elevation 969 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).