Mkushi weather in December

In December, Mkushi sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 257 mm of rain across 25.9 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-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 December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mkushi's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mkushi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
4th warmest
Overnight low
18°
10th coldest
Rainfall
257 mm
25.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:35 AM – 6:23 PM
Cloud cover
84%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Mkushi is human settlement.

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical December day in Mkushi reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 8°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, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12718
22718
32718
42718
52718
62718
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292518
302518
312518

Mkushi weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 17°27627.412.73.9
Feb26° / 17°22023.412.54.1
Mar26° / 17°16821.312.14.9
Apr25° / 15°306.411.77.5
May24° / 13°40.811.49.0
Jun23° / 11°00.111.29.0
Jul22° / 10°10.111.38.9
Aug25° / 13°00.111.59.1
Sep28° / 16°10.311.97.8
Oct30° / 18°152.912.36.1
Nov29° / 19°10614.612.65.0
Dec26° / 18°25725.912.84.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
32674
42674
52476
62377
72377
82179
91981
101882
111783
121585
131486
141387
151288
161288
171090
181090
191090
20991
211090
221090
231090
241090
251090
261090
271090
281090
291090
301189
311090

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mkushi gets around 257 mm of rain over 25.9 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 83% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
171
271
372
473
574
675
776
878
979
1080
1181
1282
1383
1484
1585
1686
1786
1887
1987
2088
2188
2289
2389
2489
2589
2689
2789
2889
2988
3088
3188

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 80% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 9% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1720694
2720694
3619705
4618715
5517735
6516736
7415756
8414766
9313777
10311797
11310807
1229818
1328828
1427829
1526839
1626839
1725849
18148510
19148510
20148510
21148510
22138511
23138511
24138511
25138412
26138412
27138412
28038512
29038512
30038512
31038512

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:30 AM to 5:42 AM, and sunset from 6:15 PM to 6:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:306:15
212.85:306:15
312.85:306:16
412.85:316:16
512.85:316:17
612.85:316:17
712.85:316:18
812.85:326:18
912.85:326:19
1012.85:326:19
1112.85:336:20
1212.85:336:20
1312.85:336:21
1412.85:346:22
1512.85:346:22
1612.85:356:23
1712.85:356:23
1812.85:356:24
1912.85:366:24
2012.85:366:25
2112.85:376:25
2212.85:376:26
2312.85:386:26
2412.85:386:26
2512.85:396:27
2612.85:396:27
2712.85:406:28
2812.85:406:28
2912.85:416:29
3012.85:416:29
3112.85:426:29

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.21 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.91 kWh/m² to a high of 7.04 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.21 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mkushi

In seasonPeak

In December, Mkushi sits inside its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Mkushi's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Mkushi?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mkushi for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mkushi in December

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

In December, Mkushi sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mkushi in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mkushi peaks around January 23 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 9 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 23UV 15Jun 20UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Mkushi in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Mkushi is worst in September — around 38 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 6.7× the cleanest month (May, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodSep 938 µg/m³May 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb10Good
Mar8Good
Apr6Good
May6Good
Jun9Good
Jul21Moderate
Aug38Poor
Sep38Poor
Oct22Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mkushi?

Mkushi sits at 13.6°S, 29.4°E, 1,257 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Kapiri Mposhi, 87 km away.

Kapiri MposhiSerenjeMapaloNdolaLuanshyaMpongweKabweKitwe

Topography around Mkushi

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Mkushi.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mkushi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 231 m around an average of 1,276 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 468 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 931 m.

The land around Mkushi is covered by artificial surfaces (27%) and cropland (22%) within 3 km, trees (48%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) within 80 km.

3 km
231 m
16 km
468 m
80 km
931 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Kapiri Mposhi 87 km · Serenje 101 km · Mapalo 109 km · Ndola 110 km · Luanshya 119 km · Mpongwe 134 km · Kabwe 137 km · Kitwe 157 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 Mkushi (-13.6202°, 29.3939°, elevation 1,257 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. 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).