Climate and average weather in Mpongwe
In Mpongwe, the summers are hot, fairly dry, and mostly clear and the winters are warm and clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Mpongwe typically varies from 12°C to 32°C, and is rarely below 9°C or above 35°C. October is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Mpongwe for warm-weather activities is from late April to late August.
- Hottest
- Oct
- 32°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 12°
- Wettest
- Jan
- 284 mm
- Driest
- Aug
- 0 mm
- Rain / yr
- 1074 mm
- 123 wet days
- Daylight
- 11.2–12.8 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 1,195 m
- 13.5°S
- Clearest
- Aug
- 21% cloud
Mpongwe is city in Zambia.
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Mpongwe weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late April to late August.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Mpongwe, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 2.2 months, from September 10 to November 15, with daily high temperatures above 30°C. The hottest month of the year in Mpongwe is October, with an average high of 32°C and low of 19°C.
The cool season lasts 2.0 months, from May 31 to July 29, with daily high temperatures below 26°C. The coldest month of the year in Mpongwe is July, with an average low of 12°C and high of 24°C.
Days typically run about 11°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 14°C) in September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 27 |
| Avg low (°C) | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 18 |
| Feb | 26 | 18 |
| Mar | 27 | 18 |
| Apr | 27 | 16 |
| May | 26 | 14 |
| Jun | 25 | 12 |
| Jul | 24 | 12 |
| Aug | 27 | 14 |
| Sep | 31 | 17 |
| Oct | 32 | 19 |
| Nov | 30 | 19 |
| Dec | 27 | 18 |
How hot and cold Mpongwe really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Mpongwe feels like about 32°C (around October 17). About 18 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in October.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 27 |
| Air high (°C) | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 27 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
| Air low (°C) | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 26 | 18 | 18 |
| Feb | 26 | 26 | 18 | 18 |
| Mar | 27 | 27 | 17 | 18 |
| Apr | 27 | 27 | 16 | 16 |
| May | 26 | 26 | 14 | 14 |
| Jun | 25 | 25 | 12 | 12 |
| Jul | 24 | 24 | 11 | 12 |
| Aug | 27 | 27 | 14 | 14 |
| Sep | 31 | 31 | 17 | 17 |
| Oct | 32 | 32 | 19 | 19 |
| Nov | 30 | 30 | 19 | 19 |
| Dec | 27 | 27 | 18 | 18 |
Average hourly temperature in Mpongwe
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on October afternoons, near 32°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 12°C.
Mpongwe weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26° / 18° | 284 | 27.5 | 12.7 | 3.8 |
| Feb | 26° / 18° | 230 | 23.8 | 12.4 | 4.0 |
| Mar | 27° / 18° | 159 | 20.6 | 12.1 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 27° / 16° | 31 | 5.8 | 11.7 | 7.2 |
| May | 26° / 14° | 3 | 0.7 | 11.4 | 8.5 |
| Jun | 25° / 12° | 0 | 0.1 | 11.2 | 9.2 |
| Jul | 24° / 12° | 0 | 0.1 | 11.3 | 9.3 |
| Aug | 27° / 14° | 0 | 0 | 11.6 | 8.4 |
| Sep | 31° / 17° | 1 | 0.4 | 11.9 | 6.2 |
| Oct | 32° / 19° | 14 | 3.1 | 12.3 | 4.8 |
| Nov | 30° / 19° | 107 | 15.1 | 12.6 | 4.3 |
| Dec | 27° / 18° | 246 | 26.3 | 12.8 | 3.9 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Mpongwe gets about 1074 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 4.9 months, from around Nov 8 to Apr 6, peaking in January at about 91% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jun 12.
January is the wettest month by volume, with 284 mm over about 28 wet days; August is the driest, with 0 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 89 | 85 | 65 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 49 | 84 |
| Rain days | 28 | 24 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 26 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 89 | 28 |
| Feb | 85 | 24 |
| Mar | 65 | 21 |
| Apr | 21 | 6 |
| May | 2 | 1 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 2 | 0 |
| Oct | 11 | 3 |
| Nov | 49 | 15 |
| Dec | 84 | 26 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Mpongwe collects about 1074 mm of rain across 123 wet days — roughly 90 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 284 mm, while August is the driest at just 0 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 71% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 284 | 230 | 159 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 107 | 246 |
| Rain days | 28 | 24 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 26 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 284 | 28 |
| Feb | 230 | 24 |
| Mar | 159 | 21 |
| Apr | 31 | 6 |
| May | 3 | 1 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 1 | 0 |
| Oct | 14 | 3 |
| Nov | 107 | 15 |
| Dec | 246 | 26 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Mpongwe, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around April 12 and lasts for 6.9 months, ending around November 7. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 91% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around November 8 and lasts for 5.1 months, ending around April 11. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 90% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 10 | 16 | 31 | 62 | 78 | 86 | 86 | 91 | 88 | 76 | 44 | 16 |
| Cloudier (%) | 90 | 84 | 69 | 38 | 22 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 24 | 56 | 84 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | 90 |
| Feb | 16 | 84 |
| Mar | 31 | 69 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 |
| May | 78 | 22 |
| Jun | 86 | 14 |
| Jul | 86 | 14 |
| Aug | 91 | 9 |
| Sep | 88 | 12 |
| Oct | 76 | 24 |
| Nov | 44 | 56 |
| Dec | 16 | 84 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around January 1, brings about 12 h 48 min of light; the shortest, around June 4, only 11 h 12 min — a swing of roughly 1 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 12.7 | 12.4 | 12.1 | 11.7 | 11.4 | 11.2 | 11.3 | 11.6 | 11.9 | 12.3 | 12.6 | 12.8 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:55 | 6:09 | 6:14 | 6:17 | 6:22 | 6:31 | 6:35 | 6:25 | 6:04 | 5:43 | 5:34 | 5:40 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:38 | 6:35 | 6:20 | 5:59 | 5:45 | 5:44 | 5:51 | 5:58 | 5:59 | 6:02 | 6:12 | 6:27 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12.7 | 5:55 | 6:38 |
| Feb | 12.4 | 6:09 | 6:35 |
| Mar | 12.1 | 6:14 | 6:20 |
| Apr | 11.7 | 6:17 | 5:59 |
| May | 11.4 | 6:22 | 5:45 |
| Jun | 11.2 | 6:31 | 5:44 |
| Jul | 11.3 | 6:35 | 5:51 |
| Aug | 11.6 | 6:25 | 5:58 |
| Sep | 11.9 | 6:04 | 5:59 |
| Oct | 12.3 | 5:43 | 6:02 |
| Nov | 12.6 | 5:34 | 6:12 |
| Dec | 12.8 | 5:40 | 6:27 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Mpongwe averages about 12 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 1 and 24 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.5 months, from around Apr 21 to Nov 3. The sunniest month is August, with roughly 23 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is January, down near 1 sunny days — about 96% fewer than the August peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 17 | 8 | 2 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright | Brilliant | Bright | Bright | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 2 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 4 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 10 | Mixed |
| May | 18 | Bright |
| Jun | 21 | Bright |
| Jul | 22 | Bright |
| Aug | 24 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 22 | Bright |
| Oct | 17 | Bright |
| Nov | 8 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 2 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Mpongwe, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 5.2 months, from around November 11 to April 16. The muggiest month is January, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 99% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around April 17 to November 10, and June is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 77 | 98 | 100 | 100 | 98 | 80 | 27 | 2 |
| Comfortable (%) | 1 | 2 | 9 | 35 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 20 | 4 |
| Humid (%) | 31 | 35 | 47 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 38 | 37 |
| Muggy (%) | 69 | 64 | 43 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 57 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 1 | 31 | 69 |
| Feb | 0 | 2 | 35 | 64 |
| Mar | 1 | 9 | 47 | 43 |
| Apr | 23 | 35 | 34 | 9 |
| May | 77 | 19 | 3 | 0 |
| Jun | 98 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 98 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 80 | 12 | 7 | 0 |
| Nov | 27 | 20 | 38 | 15 |
| Dec | 2 | 4 | 37 | 57 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Mpongwe is typically calm, near 10 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 7.1 months, from around Apr 4 to Nov 4. The windiest month is September, averaging about 13 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Nov 5 to Apr 3, with January the calmest month at about 6 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 7 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | light breeze | light breeze | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | calm |
| Feb | 6 | calm |
| Mar | 8 | calm |
| Apr | 10 | calm |
| May | 11 | calm |
| Jun | 11 | calm |
| Jul | 12 | calm |
| Aug | 12 | light breeze |
| Sep | 13 | light breeze |
| Oct | 12 | calm |
| Nov | 9 | calm |
| Dec | 7 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Mpongwe
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Mpongwe's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Mpongwe
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Mpongwe throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late August, Mpongwe is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Mpongwe for general outdoor tourist activities is from late April to late August, with a peak score in the third week of June.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 7.2 | 8.5 | 9.2 | 9.3 | 8.4 | 6.2 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 3.9 |
| Rating | fair | fair | fair | good | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | good | fair | fair | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.8 | fair |
| Feb | 4.0 | fair |
| Mar | 4.9 | fair |
| Apr | 7.2 | good |
| May | 8.5 | ideal |
| Jun | 9.2 | ideal |
| Jul | 9.3 | ideal |
| Aug | 8.4 | ideal |
| Sep | 6.2 | good |
| Oct | 4.8 | fair |
| Nov | 4.3 | fair |
| Dec | 3.9 | fair |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Mpongwe for hot-weather activities is from mid April to late October, with a peak score in the last week of August.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Mpongwe, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around October (highs near 32°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 24°C), pack light clothes and sun protection.
In October, Mpongwe sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 3 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Mpongwe by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mpongwe peaks around January 22 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 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) | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 15 | Extreme |
| Apr | 13 | Extreme |
| May | 10 | Extreme |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 14 | Extreme |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Mpongwe
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in January the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 7 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 7 | 7 | 6.5 | 6 | 5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 7 |
| Feb | 8.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 7.5 | 6 |
| May | 7 | 5 |
| Jun | 6.5 | 4.5 |
| Jul | 7 | 4.5 |
| Aug | 7 | 5 |
| Sep | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 8 | 6 |
| Nov | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 8.5 | 6.5 |
Air quality in Mpongwe by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Mpongwe is worst in August — around 46 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.4× the cleanest month (May, 11 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) | 17 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 31 | 46 | 37 | 24 | 17 | 15 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Moderate |
| Feb | 18 | Moderate |
| Mar | 15 | Moderate |
| Apr | 11 | Good |
| May | 11 | Good |
| Jun | 15 | Moderate |
| Jul | 31 | Moderate |
| Aug | 46 | Poor |
| Sep | 37 | Poor |
| Oct | 24 | Moderate |
| Nov | 17 | Moderate |
| Dec | 15 | Moderate |
Growing season
Mpongwe is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Mpongwe banks about 4,279 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around October.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 372 | 339 | 375 | 341 | 311 | 247 | 247 | 328 | 413 | 484 | 435 | 387 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 372 |
| Feb | 339 |
| Mar | 375 |
| Apr | 341 |
| May | 311 |
| Jun | 247 |
| Jul | 247 |
| Aug | 328 |
| Sep | 413 |
| Oct | 484 |
| Nov | 435 |
| Dec | 387 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Mpongwe receives about 5.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 5.0 and 7.0 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 3.9 months, from around Aug 5 to Dec 2. The brightest month is October, averaging about 6.9 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is January, down near 5.0 kWh/m² — roughly 28% less than the October peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 5.0 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 6.0 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 6.2 | 5.3 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.0 | Bright |
| Feb | 5.2 | Bright |
| Mar | 5.3 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.4 | Bright |
| May | 5.3 | Bright |
| Jun | 5.1 | Bright |
| Jul | 5.2 | Bright |
| Aug | 6.0 | Intense |
| Sep | 6.8 | Intense |
| Oct | 7.0 | Intense |
| Nov | 6.2 | Intense |
| Dec | 5.3 | Bright |
Where is Mpongwe?
Mpongwe sits at 13.5°S, 28.2°E, 1,195 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Luanshya, 50 km away.
Topography around Mpongwe
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Mpongwe.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Mpongwe has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 50 m around an average of 1,193 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 207 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 320 m.
The land around Mpongwe is covered by cropland (45%) and grassland (31%) within 3 km, grassland (34%), trees (31%) and cropland (28%) within 16 km, and trees (49%) and grassland (25%) 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 Mpongwe (-13.5091°, 28.155°, elevation 1,195 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).