Lusaka weather in December

In December, Lusaka sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 228 mm of rain across 24.5 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-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 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 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Lusaka's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lusaka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
4th warmest
Overnight low
19°
10th coldest
Rainfall
228 mm
24.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:36 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
80%
11th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Lusaka is capital of Zambia.

Density
6,145/km²
people per km²
Founded
1905

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 Lusaka reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°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 30°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)
12819
22819
32819
42819
52819
62819
72819
82819
92819
102819
112719
122719
132719
142719
152719
162719
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302719
312719

Lusaka 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° / 19°24025.512.84.0
Feb27° / 19°18721.812.54.3
Mar27° / 18°1291912.15.2
Apr26° / 16°275.511.77.5
May25° / 13°30.911.38.8
Jun23° / 11°10.111.19.2
Jul23° / 11°10.111.29.1
Aug26° / 13°00.111.59.0
Sep30° / 17°20.411.97.0
Oct32° / 20°153.312.35.2
Nov30° / 20°9814.312.74.3
Dec27° / 19°22824.512.94.1

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 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23070
33070
43070
52872
62773
72674
82476
92278
102179
112080
121981
131882
141783
151684
161684
171684
181684
191684
201684
211684
221684
231684
241585
251585
261585
271585
281585
291684
301684
311684

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Lusaka gets around 228 mm of rain over 24.5 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 79% and peaks near 85% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
165
265
366
467
568
670
771
873
975
1076
1178
1279
1380
1481
1582
1683
1783
1884
1984
2084
2185
2285
2385
2485
2585
2685
2784
2884
2984
3084
3183

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 66% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 66% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
19143642
28143543
37133545
47133446
56123348
66123250
75113252
85103154
94103056
10492958
11382861
12372763
13262666
14262666
15252568
16142471
17142372
18132274
19132274
20132175
21122176
22122077
23122077
24022078
25022078
26022078
27022078
28022078
29022078
30022078
31022078

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 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
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 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:31 AM to 5:43 AM, and sunset from 6:22 PM to 6:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:316:22
212.95:316:23
312.95:326:23
412.95:326:24
512.95:326:24
612.95:326:25
712.95:336:25
812.95:336:26
912.95:336:27
1012.95:346:27
1112.95:346:28
1212.95:346:28
1312.95:356:29
1412.95:356:29
1512.95:356:30
1612.95:366:30
1712.95:366:31
1812.95:376:31
1912.95:376:32
2012.95:376:32
2112.95:386:33
2212.95:386:33
2312.95:396:34
2412.95:396:34
2512.95:406:35
2612.95:406:35
2712.95:416:36
2812.95:416:36
2912.95:426:36
3012.95:426:37
3112.95:436:37

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.55 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.8 kWh/m² to a high of 7.24 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.55 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
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 Lusaka

In seasonPeak

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

Lusaka'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 Lusaka?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Lusaka for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lusaka in December

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

In December, Lusaka sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Lusaka in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (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 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
Jan17Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Lusaka 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 Lusaka is worst in September — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateSep 1037 µg/m³Dec 2112 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug36Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct26Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lusaka?

Lusaka sits at 15.4°S, 28.3°E, 1,277 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Chunga, 10 km away.

Topography around Lusaka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lusaka has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 78 m around an average of 1,272 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 226 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,089 m.

The land around Lusaka is covered by artificial surfaces (78%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (34%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (32%), shrubs (23%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
78 m
16 km
226 m
80 km
1,089 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwetland
December weather nearby: Chunga 10 km · Namalombwe 11 km · Chisankane 11 km · Madido 11 km · Ntandabale 15 km · Chilanga Township 18 km · Lusaka West 21 km · Palabana 27 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 (-15.4067°, 28.2871°, elevation 1,277 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).