Mpika weather in January

In January, Mpika sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 294 mm of rain across 29 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of January to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mpika's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpika's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
6th warmest
Overnight low
17°
9th coldest
Rainfall
294 mm
29 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
5:45 AM – 6:22 PM
Cloud cover
92%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Mpika 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 24°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mpika reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12417
22417
32417
42417
52417
62417
72417
82417
92417
102417
112417
122417
132417
142417
152417
162417
172417
182417
192417
202417
212417
222417
232417
242417
252417
262417
272417
282417
292417
302417
312417

Mpika weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 6th-warmest and 1st-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 2% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 97%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1595
2595
3595
4496
5496
6496
7496
8496
9496
10496
11397
12397
13298
14298
15298
16298
17298
18397
19397
20397
21397
22397
23397
24397
25397
26397
27397
28397
29397
30397
31496

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mpika gets around 294 mm of rain over 29 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 94% and peaks near 95% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
191
292
392
492
592
693
793
893
994
1094
1194
1295
1395
1495
1595
1695
1795
1895
1995
2095
2195
2295
2395
2495
2594
2694
2794
2894
2993
3093
3193

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 89% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 9% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11918
21918
31918
41918
51918
61918
71918
81918
91918
101918
111918
121918
131909
141909
151909
161909
171909
1818910
1918910
2018910
2118811
2218811
2318811
2418811
2508911
2608911
2708911
2808911
2918811
3018811
3118811

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 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
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of January to 12 h 30 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 5:37 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 6:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:376:18
212.75:376:18
312.75:386:19
412.75:386:19
512.75:396:19
612.75:396:20
712.75:406:20
812.75:416:20
912.75:416:21
1012.75:426:21
1112.65:426:21
1212.65:436:21
1312.65:436:22
1412.65:446:22
1512.65:446:22
1612.65:456:22
1712.65:456:22
1812.65:466:23
1912.65:466:23
2012.65:476:23
2112.65:476:23
2212.65:486:23
2312.65:486:23
2412.65:496:23
2512.65:496:23
2612.65:506:23
2712.65:506:23
2812.55:516:23
2912.55:516:23
3012.55:516:23
3112.55:526:23

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.85 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

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 — January's 4.85 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mpika

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Mpika?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.2
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mpika.

What to pack for Mpika in January

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

In January, Mpika sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mpika in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (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 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 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
January 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).