Mbala weather in October

In October, Mbala sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 52 mm of rain across 7.9 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Mbala's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
1st warmest
Overnight low
20°
12th coldest
Rainfall
52 mm
7.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
5:34 AM – 5:46 PM
Cloud cover
61%
6th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Mbala is human settlement.

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical October day in Mbala reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and about 2°C warmer than November.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13019
23019
33019
42919
52919
62919
72919
82919
92919
102919
112920
122920
132920
142920
152920
162920
172920
182920
192920
202920
212920
222920
232920
242920
252920
262920
272920
282820
292820
302820
312820

Mbala weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 1st-warmest and 7th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26238
36139
46040
55941
65842
75743
85743
95644
105545
115446
125446
135347
145248
155149
164951
174951
184852
194654
204654
214555
224456
234357
244357
254159
264159
274060
284060
293961
303763
313664

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Mbala gets around 52 mm of rain over 7.9 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 26% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
110
211
311
412
513
614
715
816
916
1017
1118
1219
1320
1422
1523
1625
1726
1828
1929
2030
2132
2233
2334
2436
2538
2640
2742
2844
2946
3048
3150

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 43% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1722071
2712171
3682381
4662491
5642691
66227101
75928112
85829112
95630122
105431132
115331142
125132152
135032172
144832182
154632202
164432222
174232242
184032252
193832272
203633292
213433312
223233322
233034342
242834363
252535373
262335393
272135403
281935424
291735444
301635454
311434474

Wind in October

Winds average 7 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:41 AM to 5:29 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 5:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.15:415:46
212.15:415:46
312.15:405:46
412.15:405:46
512.15:395:46
612.15:385:46
712.15:385:46
812.15:375:45
912.15:375:45
1012.25:365:45
1112.25:365:45
1212.25:355:45
1312.25:355:45
1412.25:345:45
1512.25:345:45
1612.25:345:46
1712.25:335:46
1812.25:335:46
1912.25:325:46
2012.25:325:46
2112.25:325:46
2212.25:315:46
2312.35:315:46
2412.35:315:46
2512.35:305:46
2612.35:305:47
2712.35:305:47
2812.35:295:47
2912.35:295:47
3012.35:295:47
3112.35:295:47

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.61 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 — October's 6.61 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.7Intense
36.7Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.4Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Mbala

In seasonPeak

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

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

5.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
7.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Mbala for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Mbala in October

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

In October, Mbala sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Mbala in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 13 (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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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