Lusaka weather in October

In October, Lusaka sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 15 mm of rain across 3.3 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Lusaka's 6th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lusaka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
1st warmest
Overnight low
20°
11th coldest
Rainfall
15 mm
3.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
5:41 AM – 6:02 PM
Cloud cover
32%
6th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
7.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month.

A typical October day in Lusaka reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 2°C warmer than September and about 1°C warmer than November.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13119
23119
33119
43119
53119
63119
73119
83119
93120
103120
113120
123120
133220
143220
153220
163220
173220
183220
193220
203220
213220
223220
233220
243220
253220
263220
273220
283220
293220
303220
313220

Lusaka weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 1st-warmest and 7th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 18%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18614
28614
38614
48614
58614
68515
78515
88515
98515
108416
118416
128416
138317
148416
158317
168317
178317
188218
198218
208218
218218
228020
238020
247921
257822
267723
277624
287525
297426
307327
317129

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Lusaka gets around 15 mm of rain over 3.3 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 11% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
13
24
34
45
55
66
76
87
97
107
118
128
139
149
1510
1610
1711
1811
1912
2012
2113
2213
2314
2414
2515
2616
2716
2817
2918
3019
3120

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 77% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1881110
2881110
3861220
4851320
5851320
6831430
7831430
8831430
9811540
10811540
11811540
12801640
13801640
14781750
15781750
16781750
17771850
18771850
19761950
20761950
21742060
22742060
23722170
24722170
25702280
26702280
27682390
286723100
296524110
306324121
316025141

Wind in October

Winds average 15 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:52 AM to 5:34 AM, and sunset from 6:00 PM to 6:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.15:526:00
212.25:516:00
312.25:506:00
412.25:496:00
512.25:496:00
612.25:486:01
712.25:476:01
812.25:476:01
912.35:466:01
1012.35:456:01
1112.35:456:01
1212.35:446:02
1312.35:436:02
1412.35:436:02
1512.35:426:02
1612.45:416:02
1712.45:416:03
1812.45:406:03
1912.45:406:03
2012.45:396:03
2112.45:386:04
2212.45:386:04
2312.45:376:04
2412.55:376:05
2512.55:366:05
2612.55:366:05
2712.55:356:06
2812.55:356:06
2912.55:356:06
3012.55:346:07
3112.65:346:07

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 7.24 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — October's 7.24 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.2Intense
37.2Intense
47.2Intense
57.2Intense
67.2Intense
77.2Intense
87.2Intense
97.2Intense
107.2Intense
117.2Intense
127.2Intense
137.2Intense
147.2Intense
157.2Intense
167.3Intense
177.3Intense
187.3Intense
197.3Intense
207.3Intense
217.3Intense
227.3Intense
237.2Intense
247.2Intense
257.2Intense
267.2Intense
277.2Intense
287.2Intense
297.2Intense
307.2Intense
317.1Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Lusaka

In seasonPeak

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

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 October a good time to visit Lusaka?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
8.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Lusaka for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Lusaka in October

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

In October, Lusaka sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Lusaka in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 12 (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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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