Mongu weather in January

In January, Mongu sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 261 mm of rain across 24.9 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-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 5% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of January to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mongu's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mongu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
10th warmest
Overnight low
20°
9th coldest
Rainfall
261 mm
24.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
6:12 AM – 7:01 PM
Cloud cover
83%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Mongu is city in Western Zambia.

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 28°C through the month.

A typical January 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 30°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12820
22820
32820
42820
52820
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 January really feels in Mongu

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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

January 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 January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 1st-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11684
21684
31783
41783
51783
61882
71882
81882
91783
101783
111783
121783
131684
141585
151486
161387
171387
181387
191387
201387
211387
221288
231288
241288
251288
261288
271288
281288
291288
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mongu gets around 261 mm of rain over 24.9 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 81% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
180
279
379
478
578
678
777
877
978
1078
1179
1280
1381
1481
1582
1682
1783
1883
1983
2083
2183
2284
2384
2484
2583
2683
2783
2882
2982
3081
3181

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 91% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 91% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
101090
201090
301090
401090
501090
601090
701090
801090
901090
1001090
1101090
120991
130991
140991
150892
160892
170892
180892
190793
200793
210793
220793
230793
240793
250793
260793
270793
280793
290892
300892
311891

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

Across January, 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
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
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of January to 12 h 42 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 6:04 AM to 6:20 AM, and sunset from 6:57 PM to 7:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.96:046:57
212.96:046:58
312.96:056:58
412.96:066:58
512.96:066:59
612.96:076:59
712.96:076:59
812.96:087:00
912.96:087:00
1012.96:097:00
1112.86:107:00
1212.86:107:01
1312.86:117:01
1412.86:117:01
1512.86:127:01
1612.86:127:01
1712.86:137:01
1812.86:137:01
1912.86:147:02
2012.86:157:02
2112.86:157:02
2212.86:167:02
2312.86:167:02
2412.76:177:02
2512.76:177:02
2612.76:187:02
2712.76:187:02
2812.76:197:02
2912.76:197:01
3012.76:207:01
3112.76:207:01

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.49 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 — January's 5.49 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mongu

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Mongu?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mongu for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mongu in January

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

In January, 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 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 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 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 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
January 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).