Mpika weather in December

In December, Mpika sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 277 mm of rain across 25.8 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 24°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of December to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mpika's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpika's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
4th warmest
Overnight low
17°
10th coldest
Rainfall
277 mm
25.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:30 AM – 6:11 PM
Cloud cover
83%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Mpika 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

Highs ease over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 24°C by the end.

A typical December day in Mpika 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 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12717
22717
32617
42617
52617
62617
72617
82617
92617
102617
112617
122517
132517
142517
152517
162517
172517
182517
192517
202517
212517
222517
232517
242517
252517
262417
272417
282417
292417
302417
312417

Mpika 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
Jan24° / 17°2942912.63.7
Feb24° / 17°24425.412.43.9
Mar24° / 17°1822512.14.5
Apr23° / 15°4811.311.76.7
May23° / 13°41.211.58.7
Jun22° / 11°10.211.38.8
Jul22° / 10°10.311.48.8
Aug24° / 12°10.211.69.2
Sep27° / 15°20.511.98.5
Oct29° / 17°153.112.36.7
Nov28° / 18°10112.112.55.6
Dec25° / 17°27725.812.74.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% 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 83%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23169
33169
42971
52872
62773
72674
82476
92476
102179
111981
121981
131783
141684
151585
161585
171387
181387
191288
201288
211288
221189
231189
241090
25991
26991
27991
28793
29793
30694
31694

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mpika gets around 277 mm of rain over 25.8 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 91% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
164
266
367
469
570
672
774
876
977
1079
1181
1282
1384
1485
1586
1687
1788
1888
1989
2089
2189
2290
2390
2490
2590
2690
2790
2890
2991
3091
3191

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 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11319671
21218691
31118701
4917731
5816751
6715771
7614791
8613801
9511822
10410842
1149852
1238872
1337882
1437873
1526893
1625903
1725894
1824904
1924904
2014905
2113915
2213915
2313906
2413906
2513897
2613897
2712907
2812907
2902908
3002908
3102908

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of December to 12 h 42 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 5:25 AM to 5:37 AM, and sunset from 6:03 PM to 6:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:256:03
212.65:256:04
312.75:256:04
412.75:256:05
512.75:266:05
612.75:266:06
712.75:266:06
812.75:276:07
912.75:276:07
1012.75:276:08
1112.75:286:09
1212.75:286:09
1312.75:286:10
1412.75:296:10
1512.75:296:11
1612.75:306:11
1712.75:306:12
1812.75:306:12
1912.75:316:13
2012.75:316:13
2112.75:326:14
2212.75:326:14
2312.75:336:14
2412.75:336:15
2512.75:346:15
2612.75:346:16
2712.75:356:16
2812.75:356:17
2912.75:366:17
3012.75:366:18
3112.75:376:18

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.36 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.85 kWh/m² to a high of 7.16 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.36 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.4Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mpika

In seasonPeak

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

Mpika'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 Mpika?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mpika for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mpika in December

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

In December, Mpika sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mpika 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 Mpika peaks around February 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 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 highExtremeFeb 19UV 16Jun 17UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mpika 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 Mpika is worst in September — around 55 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 8.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodSep 1652 µg/m³Dec 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb9Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May7Good
Jun10Good
Jul18Moderate
Aug34Moderate
Sep55Poor
Oct36Poor
Nov11Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mpika?

Mpika sits at 11.8°S, 31.5°E, 1,428 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Chinsali, 159 km away.

ChinsaliKasamaLundaziSerenjeSamfyaIsokaMzimbaChipata

Topography around Mpika

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mpika has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 340 m around an average of 1,448 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 458 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,287 m.

The land around Mpika is covered by cropland (44%), shrubs (21%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, shrubs (36%), trees (24%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) and shrubs (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
340 m
16 km
458 m
80 km
1,287 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswetland
December weather nearby: Chinsali 159 km · Kasama 183 km · Lundazi 194 km · Serenje 204 km · Samfya 213 km · Isoka 226 km · Mzimba 234 km · Chipata 238 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 Mpika (-11.8343°, 31.4529°, elevation 1,428 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).