Mbala weather in May

In May, Mbala sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 10 mm of rain across 2.6 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Mbala's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
17°
4th coldest
Rainfall
10 mm
2.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:03 AM – 5:39 PM
Cloud cover
43%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.0
out of 10

Mbala is human settlement.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical May day in Mbala reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12618
22618
32618
42618
52618
62618
72618
82617
92617
102617
112617
122617
132717
142717
152717
162717
172717
182717
192717
202717
212717
222717
232717
242717
252717
262717
272717
282717
292717
302717
312716

Mbala weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 25%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26634
36733
46832
56931
66931
77129
87228
97228
107426
117426
127426
137525
147525
157525
167525
177525
187624
197624
207723
217723
227822
237822
247921
257921
268020
278119
288218
298218
308317
318317

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mbala gets around 10 mm of rain over 2.6 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 9% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
219
318
417
516
615
715
814
913
1012
1111
1210
139
149
158
167
177
186
196
205
215
224
234
244
253
263
272
282
292
302
311

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 49% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1547461
2649431
3851401
4953371
51153351
61354321
71555300
81755280
92055250
102255230
112455210
122754190
132954170
143153160
153353140
163552130
173652120
183851110
194050100
20415090
21435080
22444970
23464860
24484750
25504550
26534340
27564130
28583930
29623620
30653320
31683020

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, 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
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:01 AM to 6:06 AM, and sunset from 5:43 PM to 5:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:015:43
211.76:015:42
311.76:015:42
411.76:015:42
511.76:015:41
611.76:015:41
711.76:025:41
811.66:025:40
911.66:025:40
1011.66:025:40
1111.66:025:40
1211.66:025:39
1311.66:025:39
1411.66:035:39
1511.66:035:39
1611.66:035:39
1711.66:035:39
1811.66:035:38
1911.66:035:38
2011.66:045:38
2111.66:045:38
2211.66:045:38
2311.66:045:38
2411.66:045:38
2511.66:055:38
2611.56:055:38
2711.56:055:38
2811.56:055:38
2911.56:065:38
3011.56:065:38
3111.56:065:38

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.64 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 — May's 5.64 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mbala

In seasonPeak

None of Mbala's seasonal hazards are active in May. 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 May a good time to visit Mbala?

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

8.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May 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 May

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

In May, Mbala sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Mbala in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May 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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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