Mpika in Spring
In spring (September, October and November), Mpika sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 118 mm of rain over about 16 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across spring, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Mpika's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Mpika's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 17°C
- Rainfall
- 118 mm
- 16 wet days
- Avg wind
- 13 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.9
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Mpika in Spring
Across spring, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C.
A typical spring day in Mpika reaches about 28°C and drops to 17°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is October, the coolest September.
Mpika weather by month
How the three spring months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24° / 17° | 294 | 29 | 12.6 | 3.7 |
| Feb | 24° / 17° | 244 | 25.4 | 12.4 | 3.9 |
| Mar | 24° / 17° | 182 | 25 | 12.1 | 4.5 |
| Apr | 23° / 15° | 48 | 11.3 | 11.7 | 6.7 |
| May | 23° / 13° | 4 | 1.2 | 11.5 | 8.7 |
| Jun | 22° / 11° | 1 | 0.2 | 11.3 | 8.8 |
| Jul | 22° / 10° | 1 | 0.3 | 11.4 | 8.8 |
| Aug | 24° / 12° | 1 | 0.2 | 11.6 | 9.2 |
| Sep | 27° / 15° | 2 | 0.5 | 11.9 | 8.5 |
| Oct | 29° / 17° | 15 | 3.1 | 12.3 | 6.7 |
| Nov | 28° / 18° | 101 | 12.1 | 12.5 | 5.6 |
| Dec | 25° / 17° | 277 | 25.8 | 12.7 | 4.2 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Mpika gets around 118 mm of rain over 16 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 13 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min in early September to 12 h 36 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 6.9 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Mpika
None of Mpika's seasonal hazards peak in spring. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Mpika's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is spring a good time to visit Mpika?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a reasonable time to visit Mpika for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Mpika in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Mpika sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 16 days see rain.
UV index in Mpika in Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 12 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 16 | Extreme |
| Mar | 16 | Extreme |
| Apr | 13 | Extreme |
| May | 10 | Extreme |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
Air quality in Mpika in Spring
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 18 | 34 | 55 | 36 | 11 | 6 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Good |
| Feb | 9 | Good |
| Mar | 8 | Good |
| Apr | 7 | Good |
| May | 7 | Good |
| Jun | 10 | Good |
| Jul | 18 | Moderate |
| Aug | 34 | Moderate |
| Sep | 55 | Poor |
| Oct | 36 | Poor |
| Nov | 11 | Good |
| Dec | 6 | Good |
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.
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.
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
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.