Mkushi weather in January

In January, Mkushi sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 276 mm of rain across 27.4 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mkushi's 12th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mkushi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
7th warmest
Overnight low
17°
9th coldest
Rainfall
276 mm
27.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:50 AM – 6:33 PM
Cloud cover
88%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
4.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Mkushi is human settlement.

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mkushi reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°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 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12518
22518
32518
42518
52518
62518
72518
82518
92517
102517
112517
122517
132517
142517
152517
162517
172517
182517
192517
202517
212517
222517
232517
242517
252517
262517
272517
282517
292517
302517
312517

Mkushi weather by month

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

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 93%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11090
21090
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9892
10793
11793
12793
13793
14694
15694
16694
17694
18694
19694
20694
21694
22694
23694
24694
25694
26694
27694
28694
29793
30793
31892

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mkushi gets around 276 mm of rain over 27.4 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 88% and peaks near 90% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
188
287
387
487
587
687
787
887
987
1087
1188
1288
1388
1489
1589
1689
1790
1890
1990
2090
2190
2290
2390
2490
2590
2689
2789
2888
2988
3087
3186

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 83% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 14% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
138512
238512
338413
438413
538413
638413
738413
838413
938413
1038413
1138314
1228414
1328414
1428414
1528315
1628315
1728315
1828315
1928315
2028216
2128315
2228315
2328315
2428315
2528315
2628315
2738215
2838215
2938215
3038215
3138215

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
88calm
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 January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:42 AM to 5:58 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:426:29
212.85:426:30
312.85:436:30
412.85:436:30
512.85:446:31
612.85:456:31
712.85:456:31
812.85:466:32
912.85:466:32
1012.85:476:32
1112.85:476:32
1212.75:486:33
1312.75:486:33
1412.75:496:33
1512.75:496:33
1612.75:506:33
1712.75:516:34
1812.75:516:34
1912.75:526:34
2012.75:526:34
2112.75:536:34
2212.75:536:34
2312.75:546:34
2412.75:546:34
2512.75:556:34
2612.65:556:34
2712.65:566:34
2812.65:566:34
2912.65:576:34
3012.65:576:34
3112.65:586:34

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.91 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

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 — January's 4.91 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mkushi

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Mkushi?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mkushi.

What to pack for Mkushi in January

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

In January, Mkushi sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mkushi in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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 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 January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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