Mbala weather in August

In August, Mbala sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 28°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of August to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Mbala's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
16°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:07 AM – 5:50 PM
Cloud cover
32%
3rd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.4
out of 10

Mbala is human settlement.

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 28°C by the end.

A typical August day in Mbala reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°C warmer than July and about 2°C cooler than September.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12616
22616
32616
42716
52716
62716
72716
82716
92716
102716
112716
122716
132716
142716
152716
162716
172716
182816
192816
202816
212817
222817
232817
242817
252817
262817
272817
282817
292817
302817
312817

Mbala weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 3rd-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 18°19724.612.54.3
Feb25° / 18°1592112.34.5
Mar26° / 19°21126.312.14.1
Apr26° / 18°10716.511.85.6
May27° / 17°102.611.68.0
Jun26° / 16°0011.58.8
Jul26° / 15°0011.59.0
Aug27° / 16°00.111.78.4
Sep29° / 18°30.811.96.8
Oct29° / 20°527.912.25.6
Nov27° / 19°20722.312.44.5
Dec25° / 18°26327.212.54.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 15%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18713
28713
38713
48713
58614
68614
78614
88614
98515
108416
118416
128416
138416
148317
158317
168317
178317
188317
198317
208416
218515
228515
238515
248515
258515
268515
278416
288416
298416
308317
318317

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Mbala gets around 0 mm of rain over 0.1 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
291
301
311

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in August

Winds average 11 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 10 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
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of August to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:12 AM to 6:00 AM, and sunset from 5:49 PM to 5:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:125:49
211.66:125:49
311.66:125:49
411.66:125:49
511.66:115:49
611.66:115:49
711.66:115:49
811.76:105:50
911.76:105:50
1011.76:105:50
1111.76:095:50
1211.76:095:50
1311.76:095:50
1411.76:085:50
1511.76:085:50
1611.76:075:50
1711.76:075:50
1811.76:075:50
1911.76:065:50
2011.76:065:50
2111.76:055:50
2211.86:055:50
2311.86:045:50
2411.86:045:50
2511.86:035:50
2611.86:035:50
2711.86:025:50
2811.86:025:49
2911.86:015:49
3011.86:015:49
3111.86:005:49

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 6.22 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.35 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in September across the year — August's 6.22 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
46.0Bright
56.0Bright
66.0Bright
76.0Intense
86.0Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.4Intense
266.4Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Mbala

In seasonPeak

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

Mbala sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Mbala's monsoon runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is August a good time to visit Mbala?

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

8.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
8.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mbala in August

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

In August, Mbala sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Mbala in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mbala peaks around February 17 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 17UV 17Jun 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mbala in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Mbala is worst in September — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.2× the cleanest month (May, 6 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1331 µg/m³May 146 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar9Good
Apr8Good
May6Good
Jun9Good
Jul18Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep31Moderate
Oct26Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mbala?

Mbala sits at 8.8°S, 31.4°E, 1,622 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Mpulungu, 29 km away.

LaelaSumbawangaChalaMporokosoNamanyereKasama

Topography around Mbala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 137 m around an average of 1,623 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 791 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,499 m.

The land around Mbala is covered by cropland (41%) within 3 km, grassland (31%), trees (30%) and shrubs (20%) within 16 km, and trees (28%), cropland (25%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
137 m
16 km
791 m
80 km
1,499 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Mpulungu 29 km · Matai 62 km · Laela 81 km · Sumbawanga 101 km · Chala 140 km · Mporokoso 149 km · Namanyere 151 km · Kasama 154 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 Mbala (-8.8402°, 31.3659°, elevation 1,622 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).