Mbala in Fall
In fall (March, April and May), Mbala sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 329 mm of rain over about 45 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across fall, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels humid.
Fall is Mbala's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Mbala's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 18°C
- Rainfall
- 329 mm
- 45 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.9
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Mbala in Fall
Across fall, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical fall day in Mbala reaches about 26°C and drops to 18°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest May.
Mbala weather by month
How the three fall months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25° / 18° | 197 | 24.6 | 12.5 | 4.3 |
| Feb | 25° / 18° | 159 | 21 | 12.3 | 4.5 |
| Mar | 26° / 19° | 211 | 26.3 | 12.1 | 4.1 |
| Apr | 26° / 18° | 107 | 16.5 | 11.8 | 5.6 |
| May | 27° / 17° | 10 | 2.6 | 11.6 | 8.0 |
| Jun | 26° / 16° | 0 | 0 | 11.5 | 8.8 |
| Jul | 26° / 15° | 0 | 0 | 11.5 | 9.0 |
| Aug | 27° / 16° | 0 | 0.1 | 11.7 | 8.4 |
| Sep | 29° / 18° | 3 | 0.8 | 11.9 | 6.8 |
| Oct | 29° / 20° | 52 | 7.9 | 12.2 | 5.6 |
| Nov | 27° / 19° | 207 | 22.3 | 12.4 | 4.5 |
| Dec | 25° / 18° | 263 | 27.2 | 12.5 | 4.0 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Mbala gets around 329 mm of rain over 45 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 8 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min in early March to 11 h 30 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 5.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Mbala
In fall, Mbala overlaps its cyclone and monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
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.
Is fall a good time to visit Mbala?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a reasonable time to visit Mbala for sightseeing.
What to pack for Mbala in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Mbala sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 45 days see rain.
UV index in Mbala in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 14 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 16 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Extreme |
| Feb | 17 | Extreme |
| Mar | 16 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 12 | Extreme |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
Air quality in Mbala in Fall
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 11 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 18 | 29 | 31 | 26 | 13 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Good |
| Feb | 11 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 8 | Good |
| May | 6 | Good |
| Jun | 9 | Good |
| Jul | 18 | Moderate |
| Aug | 29 | Moderate |
| Sep | 31 | Moderate |
| Oct | 26 | Moderate |
| Nov | 13 | Moderate |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
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.
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.
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
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.