Lusaka West weather in May

In May, Lusaka West sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 2 mm of rain across 0.5 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Lusaka West's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lusaka West's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
10th warmest
Overnight low
13°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
2 mm
0.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
6:25 AM – 5:42 PM
Cloud cover
31%
5th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.7
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical May day in Lusaka West reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12715
22715
32714
42714
52714
62714
72714
82714
92714
102714
112614
122614
132614
142614
152613
162613
172613
182613
192613
202613
212613
222613
232613
242613
252613
262613
272613
282513
292513
302512
312512

How May really feels in Lusaka West

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May 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

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

Lusaka West weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 19°22424.512.84.1
Feb27° / 19°16619.912.54.5
Mar27° / 18°10015.912.15.5
Apr27° / 16°224.111.77.5
May26° / 13°20.511.38.7
Jun24° / 11°00.111.19.3
Jul24° / 11°00.111.29.2
Aug27° / 14°0011.58.7
Sep30° / 17°10.311.96.5
Oct32° / 20°112.412.34.8
Nov31° / 20°8312.912.74.2
Dec28° / 19°1912312.94.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 15%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18119
28119
38119
48218
58317
68317
78317
88416
98515
108515
118515
128416
138515
148515
158515
168515
178614
188614
198614
208614
218713
228713
238614
248614
258614
268614
278614
288713
298713
308713
318713

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Lusaka West gets around 2 mm of rain over 0.5 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 2% and peaks near 3% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
13
23
33
42
52
62
72
82
92
102
112
122
132
142
152
162
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 80% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15532121
25831110
36030100
4632890
5652780
6672670
7692560
8712450
9722350
10752140
11762040
12781930
13791830
14811720
15821620
16831520
17851410
18861310
19861310
20871210
21881110
22881110
23891010
24901000
25901000
26901000
2791900
2891900
2992800
3092800
3193700

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:21 AM to 6:30 AM, and sunset from 5:49 PM to 5:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:215:49
211.46:215:48
311.46:215:48
411.46:225:47
511.46:225:47
611.46:225:46
711.46:235:46
811.46:235:45
911.46:235:45
1011.46:235:45
1111.36:245:44
1211.36:245:44
1311.36:245:43
1411.36:255:43
1511.36:255:43
1611.36:255:42
1711.36:255:42
1811.36:265:42
1911.36:265:42
2011.36:265:41
2111.26:275:41
2211.26:275:41
2311.26:275:41
2411.26:285:41
2511.26:285:41
2611.26:285:40
2711.26:295:40
2811.26:295:40
2911.26:295:40
3011.26:305:40
3111.26:305:40

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.87 kWh/m² to a high of 7.22 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.25 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Lusaka West

In seasonPeak

None of Lusaka West's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Lusaka West's monsoon runs December–February, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Lusaka West?

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

8.7
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
8.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Lusaka West for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Lusaka West in May

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

In May, Lusaka West sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Lusaka West in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lusaka West peaks around January 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 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 23UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Lusaka West in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Lusaka West is worst in August — around 42 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateAug 1541 µg/m³Dec 2315 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun31Moderate
Jul37Poor
Aug42Poor
Sep34Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lusaka West?

Lusaka West sits at 15.3°S, 28.1°E, 1,175 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Namalombwe, 12 km away.

Topography around Lusaka West

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lusaka West has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 109 m around an average of 1,137 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 235 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,025 m.

The land around Lusaka West is covered by shrubs (28%), trees (23%) and cropland (23%) within 3 km, grassland (29%), cropland (27%) and shrubs (25%) within 16 km, and grassland (37%) and shrubs (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
109 m
16 km
235 m
80 km
1,025 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswetland
May weather nearby: Namalombwe 12 km · Chunga 17 km · Lusaka 21 km · Madido 29 km · Nampundwe 29 km · Chisankane 32 km · Chilanga Township 33 km · Ntandabale 34 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 Lusaka West (-15.3186°, 28.1103°, elevation 1,175 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).