Mpongwe weather in December

In December, Mpongwe sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 246 mm of rain across 26.3 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mpongwe's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpongwe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
18°
10th coldest
Rainfall
246 mm
26.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:40 AM – 6:27 PM
Cloud cover
83%
11th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Mpongwe is city in Zambia.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mpongwe reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12818
22818
32818
42818
52818
62818
72718
82718
92718
102718
112718
122718
132718
142718
152718
162718
172718
182718
192718
202718
212718
222718
232718
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292618
302618
312618

How December really feels in Mpongwe

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Mpongwe weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°28427.512.73.8
Feb26° / 18°23023.812.44.0
Mar27° / 18°15920.612.14.9
Apr27° / 16°315.811.77.2
May26° / 14°30.711.48.5
Jun25° / 12°00.111.29.2
Jul24° / 12°00.111.39.3
Aug27° / 14°0011.68.4
Sep31° / 17°10.411.96.2
Oct32° / 19°143.112.34.8
Nov30° / 19°10715.112.64.3
Dec27° / 18°24626.312.83.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% 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 85%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22575
32476
42476
52476
62278
72278
82080
92080
101882
111783
121684
131585
141486
151486
161486
171288
181288
191288
201288
211288
221189
231090
241090
251090
261090
271090
281090
291189
301189
311090

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mpongwe gets around 246 mm of rain over 26.3 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 84% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
172
273
374
475
576
678
779
881
982
1083
1185
1286
1387
1487
1588
1688
1789
1889
1989
2089
2189
2289
2388
2488
2588
2688
2788
2887
2987
3087
3187

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 58% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15105035
2494937
3494938
4484840
5384742
6374643
7374645
8264547
9254448
10254350
11154252
12144154
13144055
14143956
15133759
16133660
17133561
18133363
19123265
20123166
21123067
22122968
23122869
24022771
25022771
26022771
27022771
28022771
29022771
30012772
31012772

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 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 5:35 AM to 5:47 AM, and sunset from 6:19 PM to 6:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:356:19
212.75:356:20
312.85:356:20
412.85:366:21
512.85:366:21
612.85:366:22
712.85:376:23
812.85:376:23
912.85:376:24
1012.85:376:24
1112.85:386:25
1212.85:386:25
1312.85:396:26
1412.85:396:26
1512.85:396:27
1612.85:406:27
1712.85:406:28
1812.85:416:28
1912.85:416:29
2012.85:426:29
2112.85:426:30
2212.85:426:30
2312.85:436:31
2412.85:436:31
2512.85:446:32
2612.85:446:32
2712.85:456:33
2812.85:456:33
2912.85:466:33
3012.85:466:34
3112.85:476:34

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.27 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.03 kWh/m² to a high of 6.97 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.27 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mpongwe

In seasonPeak

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

Mpongwe'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 Mpongwe?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mpongwe.

What to pack for Mpongwe in December

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

In December, Mpongwe sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mpongwe 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 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 22UV 16Jun 20UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mpongwe 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 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).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModeratePoorModerateAug 1845 µg/m³May 1111 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun15Moderate
Jul31Moderate
Aug46Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct24Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

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.

KalulushiKapiri MposhiKitweNdolaMapaloChambishiMufulira

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.

3 km
50 m
16 km
207 m
80 km
320 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswetland
December weather nearby: Luanshya 50 km · Kalulushi 75 km · Kapiri Mposhi 76 km · Kitwe 79 km · Ndola 80 km · Mapalo 85 km · Chambishi 98 km · Mufulira 107 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 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).