Mbala weather in March

In March, Mbala sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 211 mm of rain across 26.3 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in March, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Mbala's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
8th warmest
Overnight low
19°
10th coldest
Rainfall
211 mm
26.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:02 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
81%
9th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Mbala is human settlement.

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

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical March day in Mbala reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12618
22619
32619
42619
52619
62619
72619
82619
92619
102619
112619
122619
132619
142619
152619
162619
172619
182619
192619
202619
212619
222619
232619
242619
252619
262619
272619
282618
292618
302618
312618

Mbala weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11189
21189
31189
41189
51288
61288
71288
81387
91387
101387
111387
121486
131585
141585
151684
161684
171684
181783
191783
201783
211783
221783
231783
241882
251783
261783
271783
281981
291981
301981
312179

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Mbala gets around 211 mm of rain over 26.3 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 84% and peaks near 85% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
179
279
380
481
581
682
783
883
984
1084
1184
1285
1385
1485
1585
1685
1785
1885
1985
2085
2185
2285
2385
2485
2585
2685
2785
2885
2984
3084
3183

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the humid band about 70% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 29% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
106832
206832
316732
416732
516732
616732
716732
816831
916831
1016831
1116930
1216930
1316930
1416930
1517029
1617029
1717029
1817029
1917128
2017128
2107228
2207228
2307228
2407327
2507327
2607426
2717326
2817425
2917524
3017524
3117623

Wind in March

Winds average 6 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 7 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
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:02 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:026:13
212.26:026:13
312.26:026:12
412.26:026:12
512.26:026:12
612.16:026:11
712.16:036:11
812.16:036:10
912.16:036:10
1012.16:036:09
1112.16:036:09
1212.16:026:08
1312.16:026:08
1412.16:026:07
1512.16:026:07
1612.16:026:06
1712.16:026:05
1812.06:026:05
1912.06:026:04
2012.06:026:04
2112.06:026:03
2212.06:026:03
2312.06:026:02
2412.06:026:02
2512.06:026:01
2612.06:026:00
2712.06:026:00
2812.06:025:59
2912.06:025:59
3011.96:025:58
3111.96:015:58

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.56 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 — March's 5.56 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Mbala

In seasonPeak

In March, 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 March a good time to visit Mbala?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Mbala for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mbala in March

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

In March, Mbala sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 19°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mbala in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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