Mongu weather in December

In December, Mongu sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 232 mm of rain across 25 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of December to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mongu's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mongu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
8th warmest
Overnight low
20°
10th coldest
Rainfall
232 mm
25 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:57 AM – 6:51 PM
Cloud cover
82%
11th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Mongu is city in Western Zambia.

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 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mongu reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12920
22920
32920
42920
52920
62820
72820
82820
92820
102820
112820
122820
132820
142820
152820
162820
172820
182820
192820
202820
212820
222820
232820
242820
252820
262820
272820
282820
292820
302820
312820

How December really feels in Mongu

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Mongu weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 20°26124.912.84.0
Feb28° / 20°21421.712.54.2
Mar28° / 19°14918.612.14.6
Apr29° / 18°264.311.76.4
May28° / 16°10.211.37.8
Jun27° / 13°0011.19.1
Jul27° / 12°0011.29.1
Aug30° / 15°0011.56.9
Sep33° / 19°30.711.94.4
Oct34° / 21°24512.33.3
Nov31° / 20°13118.812.73.5
Dec28° / 20°2322512.93.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% 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 84%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22179
31981
41981
51882
61882
71882
81783
91783
101684
111684
121684
131486
141486
151486
161486
171486
181486
191486
201486
211387
221486
231486
241486
251387
261387
271486
281486
291486
301585
311585

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mongu gets around 232 mm of rain over 25 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 80% and peaks near 82% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
177
277
378
478
579
679
779
880
980
1080
1180
1280
1380
1480
1580
1679
1779
1879
1979
2080
2180
2280
2381
2481
2581
2682
2782
2881
2981
3081
3180

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 84% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 84% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1232273
2232174
3232075
4231976
5131878
6131779
7131680
8121582
9121582
10121483
11121483
12021484
13021484
14021484
15021484
16021484
17011485
18011386
19011386
20011386
21011386
22011287
23011287
24011287
25001189
26001189
27001189
28001189
29001090
30001090
31001090

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
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 48 min at the start of December to 12 h 54 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 5:52 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 6:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:526:42
212.85:526:43
312.95:526:44
412.95:536:44
512.95:536:45
612.95:536:45
712.95:546:46
812.95:546:46
912.95:546:47
1012.95:546:47
1112.95:556:48
1212.95:556:49
1312.95:556:49
1412.95:566:50
1512.95:566:50
1612.95:576:51
1712.95:576:51
1812.95:586:52
1912.95:586:52
2012.95:586:53
2112.95:596:53
2212.95:596:54
2312.96:006:54
2412.96:006:55
2512.96:016:55
2612.96:016:55
2712.96:026:56
2812.96:026:56
2912.96:036:57
3012.96:036:57
3112.96:046:57

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.17 kWh/m² to a high of 7.02 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.67 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mongu

In seasonPeak

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

Mongu's monsoon runs November–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 Mongu?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mongu.

What to pack for Mongu in December

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

In December, Mongu sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mongu in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December 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 Mongu peaks around January 19 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeExtremeJan 19UV 15Jun 22UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mongu 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 Mongu is worst in September — around 36 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.7× the cleanest month (April, 6 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1435 µg/m³Apr 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar8Good
Apr6Good
May9Good
Jun16Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep36Poor
Oct24Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mongu?

Mongu sits at 15.2°S, 23.1°E, 1,016 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Kalabo, 56 km away.

SenangaLukuluKaomaZambeziKabompoLumbalaManyinga

Topography around Mongu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mongu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 64 m around an average of 1,024 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 101 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 118 m.

The land around Mongu is covered by wetland (53%) within 3 km, wetland (57%) and shrubs (22%) within 16 km, and wetland (31%), trees (26%) and shrubs (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
64 m
16 km
101 m
80 km
118 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Kalabo 56 km · Senanga 98 km · Lukulu 98 km · Kaoma 187 km · Zambezi 190 km · Kabompo 217 km · Lumbala 222 km · Manyinga 242 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 Mongu (-15.2484°, 23.1274°, elevation 1,016 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).