Mpongwe weather in January

In January, Mpongwe sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 284 mm of rain across 27.5 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mpongwe's 12th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpongwe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
9th warmest
Overnight low
18°
9th coldest
Rainfall
284 mm
27.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:55 AM – 6:38 PM
Cloud cover
86%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Mpongwe is city in Zambia.

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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mpongwe reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12618
22618
32618
42618
52618
62618
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292618
302618
312618

How January really feels in Mpongwe

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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

January 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 January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 9th-warmest and 1st-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 90%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11090
21090
31090
41090
51189
61189
71189
81189
91189
101189
111090
121090
131090
141090
15991
16991
17991
18892
19991
20991
21991
22892
23793
24793
25892
26892
27892
28892
29991
30991
311090

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mpongwe gets around 284 mm of rain over 27.5 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 89% and peaks near 91% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
186
286
386
486
586
686
786
887
987
1087
1188
1288
1389
1490
1590
1690
1791
1891
1991
2091
2191
2291
2391
2491
2591
2690
2790
2890
2989
3088
3188

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 68% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 68% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
112772
212871
312871
412871
512970
612970
712970
813069
913069
1013069
1113168
1213168
1313168
1413168
1503169
1603169
1703268
1803268
1903268
2003367
2103367
2203367
2303268
2403268
2503268
2603169
2703169
2803169
2903169
3013168
3113267

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 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 5:47 AM to 6:03 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:476:34
212.85:486:34
312.85:486:35
412.85:496:35
512.85:496:35
612.85:506:36
712.85:506:36
812.85:516:36
912.85:516:37
1012.85:526:37
1112.75:526:37
1212.75:536:37
1312.75:546:38
1412.75:546:38
1512.75:556:38
1612.75:556:38
1712.75:566:38
1812.75:566:38
1912.75:576:39
2012.75:576:39
2112.75:586:39
2212.75:586:39
2312.75:596:39
2412.75:596:39
2512.76:006:39
2612.66:006:39
2712.66:016:39
2812.66:016:39
2912.66:026:39
3012.66:026:39
3112.66:036:39

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.03 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

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 — January's 5.03 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mpongwe

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Mpongwe?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mpongwe.

What to pack for Mpongwe in January

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

In January, Mpongwe sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mpongwe in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (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 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 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
January 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).