Mbala weather in January

In January, Mbala sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 197 mm of rain across 24.6 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of January to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mbala's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
12th warmest
Overnight low
18°
8th coldest
Rainfall
197 mm
24.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
5:50 AM – 6:18 PM
Cloud cover
88%
12th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Mbala is human settlement.

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mbala reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12518
22518
32518
42518
52518
62518
72518
82518
92418
102418
112418
122418
132418
142418
152418
162418
172418
182518
192518
202518
212518
222518
232518
242518
252518
262518
272518
282518
292518
302518
312518

Mbala weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 93%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1892
2892
3892
4793
5793
6793
7694
8694
9694
10694
11694
12694
13694
14694
15694
16694
17694
18694
19694
20694
21694
22694
23694
24694
25694
26694
27694
28793
29793
30793
31793

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mbala gets around 197 mm of rain over 24.6 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 80% and peaks near 82% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
182
282
382
482
582
682
782
882
982
1082
1181
1281
1381
1481
1581
1681
1781
1880
1980
2079
2179
2279
2378
2478
2577
2677
2776
2876
2976
3076
3176

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 76% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 24% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
117425
217524
317524
417524
517623
607723
707723
807822
907822
1007822
1107822
1207822
1307822
1407822
1507822
1607822
1707723
1807723
1907723
2007624
2107624
2207624
2307525
2407525
2507525
2607525
2707525
2807525
2907525
3007525
3107525

Wind in January

Winds average 5 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of January to 12 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:42 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.55:426:13
212.55:436:13
312.55:436:14
412.55:446:14
512.55:456:14
612.55:456:15
712.55:466:15
812.55:466:15
912.55:476:16
1012.55:476:16
1112.55:486:16
1212.55:486:17
1312.55:486:17
1412.55:496:17
1512.55:496:17
1612.55:506:18
1712.55:506:18
1812.55:516:18
1912.55:516:18
2012.45:526:19
2112.45:526:19
2212.45:536:19
2312.45:536:19
2412.45:536:19
2512.45:546:19
2612.45:546:19
2712.45:556:19
2812.45:556:19
2912.45:556:19
3012.45:566:20
3112.45:566:20

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.35 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

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 — January's 5.35 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mbala

In seasonPeak

In January, Mbala sits inside 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.

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

Is January a good time to visit Mbala?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mbala for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mbala in January

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

In January, Mbala sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mbala in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (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 January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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