Mbala in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Mbala sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 0 mm of rain over about 0 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Mbala's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Mbala's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 16°C
- Rainfall
- 0 mm
- 0 wet days
- Avg wind
- 11 km/h
- Travel score
- 8.7
- best season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Mbala in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical winter day in Mbala reaches about 26°C and drops to 16°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is August, the coolest July.
Mbala weather by month
How the three winter months (June, July and August) 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 Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Mbala gets around 0 mm of rain over 0 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 11 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min in early June to 11 h 48 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.9 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Mbala
None of Mbala's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
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 winter a good time to visit Mbala?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter 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 Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Mbala sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
UV index in Mbala in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 10 (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 Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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.