Mazabuka weather in December

In December, Mazabuka sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 169 mm of rain across 21.9 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 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of December to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mazabuka's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mazabuka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
4th warmest
Overnight low
20°
10th coldest
Rainfall
169 mm
21.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:37 AM – 6:33 PM
Cloud cover
78%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Mazabuka is town in Zambia.

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 29°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mazabuka 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, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13020
23020
33020
43020
53020
62920
72920
82920
92920
102920
112920
122920
132920
142920
152920
162920
172920
182920
192820
202820
212820
222820
232820
242820
252820
262820
272820
282820
292820
302820
312820

How December really feels in Mazabuka

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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

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

Mazabuka 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
Jan28° / 20°2012412.84.1
Feb28° / 19°14319.712.54.4
Mar28° / 19°931512.15.2
Apr28° / 16°214.111.77.4
May27° / 14°10.311.38.7
Jun25° / 11°0011.19.3
Jul24° / 11°00.111.29.3
Aug27° / 14°0011.58.6
Sep31° / 17°10.311.96.1
Oct33° / 21°132.512.44.4
Nov32° / 21°7412.512.73.9
Dec29° / 20°16921.912.93.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% 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 78%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33268
43169
53070
62971
72872
82674
92575
102377
112278
122179
132080
141981
151981
161882
171882
181882
191882
201882
211981
221882
231783
241783
251783
261882
271882
281882
291882
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mazabuka gets around 169 mm of rain over 21.9 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 71% and peaks near 76% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
260
361
462
563
664
765
866
968
1069
1170
1271
1372
1472
1573
1673
1773
1874
1974
2074
2174
2275
2375
2475
2575
2675
2776
2876
2976
3076
3175

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 71% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 71% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
18143246
27143148
37143050
46142951
56132754
65132656
75122558
85112460
94102363
104102264
11392266
12382168
13272071
14271972
15261874
16251776
17251677
18141679
19141580
20141580
21131482
22131482
23131482
24131482
25131383
26031384
27021385
28021385
29021385
30021385
31021385

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 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 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:33 AM to 5:44 AM, and sunset from 6:25 PM to 6:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:336:25
212.95:336:26
312.95:336:26
412.95:336:27
512.95:336:27
612.95:346:28
712.95:346:28
812.95:346:29
912.95:356:30
1012.95:356:30
1112.95:356:31
1212.95:366:31
1312.95:366:32
1412.95:366:32
1512.95:376:33
1612.95:376:33
1712.95:376:34
1812.95:386:34
1912.95:386:35
2012.95:396:35
2112.95:396:36
2212.95:406:36
2312.95:406:37
2412.95:416:37
2512.95:416:38
2612.95:426:38
2712.95:426:39
2812.95:436:39
2912.95:436:39
3012.95:446:40
3112.95:446:40

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.84 kWh/m² to a high of 7.25 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.64 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Intense
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mazabuka

In seasonPeak

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

Mazabuka'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 Mazabuka?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mazabuka.

What to pack for Mazabuka in December

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

In December, Mazabuka sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mazabuka 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 Mazabuka peaks around January 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 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 19UV 16Jul 10UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mazabuka 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 Mazabuka is worst in August — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.9× the cleanest month (January, 13 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateAug 2136 µg/m³Jan 1313 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun27Moderate
Jul32Moderate
Aug37Poor
Sep36Poor
Oct27Moderate
Nov19Moderate
Dec14Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mazabuka?

Mazabuka sits at 15.9°S, 27.7°E, 1,050 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Nampundwe, 43 km away.

Lusaka WestLusakaChisankane

Topography around Mazabuka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mazabuka has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 117 m around an average of 1,057 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 986 m.

The land around Mazabuka is covered by artificial surfaces (28%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, grassland (31%), wetland (26%) and shrubs (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (33%) and shrubs (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
117 m
16 km
226 m
80 km
986 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Nampundwe 43 km · Kafue 47 km · Monze 55 km · Chilanga Township 64 km · Namalombwe 70 km · Lusaka West 71 km · Lusaka 76 km · Chisankane 77 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 Mazabuka (-15.856°, 27.748°, elevation 1,050 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).