Mpulungu weather in August

In August, Mpulungu sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 28°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of August to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Mpulungu's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpulungu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
18°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:08 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
32%
3rd clearest
Wind
10 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Mpulungu is human settlement in Zambia.

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 28°C by the end.

A typical August day in Mpulungu reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°C warmer than July and about 2°C cooler than September.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12717
22717
32717
42717
52717
62718
72718
82718
92718
102718
112718
122818
132818
142818
152818
162818
172818
182818
192818
202818
212818
222818
232818
242818
252818
262819
272819
282819
292819
302919
312919

Mpulungu weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 3rd-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 20°27127.312.53.9
Feb26° / 20°21523.512.34.1
Mar26° / 20°22726.712.14.0
Apr27° / 20°10215.111.85.7
May27° / 19°102.411.67.9
Jun27° / 17°0011.58.6
Jul26° / 17°0011.58.8
Aug28° / 18°00.111.78.2
Sep29° / 20°30.811.96.7
Oct29° / 21°488.612.25.6
Nov27° / 20°17822.212.44.5
Dec25° / 20°2672812.53.9

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 15%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18911
28911
38911
48911
58812
68812
78812
88713
98614
108614
118614
128515
138515
148515
158515
168416
178416
188416
198416
208416
218416
228416
238416
248416
258416
268416
278317
288317
298317
308317
318218

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Mpulungu gets around 0 mm of rain over 0.1 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
301
311

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19820
29820
39820
49820
59820
69820
79820
89820
99820
109820
119820
129820
139820
149820
159730
169730
179730
189730
199730
209730
219730
229640
239640
249640
259640
269640
279640
289640
299640
309541
319451

Wind in August

Winds average 10 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of August to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:13 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 5:50 PM to 5:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:135:50
211.66:135:50
311.66:135:50
411.66:125:50
511.66:125:50
611.66:125:50
711.66:125:51
811.76:115:51
911.76:115:51
1011.76:115:51
1111.76:105:51
1211.76:105:51
1311.76:105:51
1411.76:095:51
1511.76:095:51
1611.76:085:51
1711.76:085:51
1811.76:075:51
1911.76:075:51
2011.76:075:51
2111.76:065:51
2211.86:065:51
2311.86:055:51
2411.86:055:51
2511.86:045:51
2611.86:045:51
2711.86:035:51
2811.86:035:50
2911.86:025:50
3011.86:015:50
3111.86:015:50

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 6.22 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.34 kWh/m² to a high of 6.63 kWh/m² in September across the year — August's 6.22 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
46.0Bright
56.0Bright
66.0Intense
76.0Intense
86.0Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.4Intense
266.4Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Mpulungu

In seasonPeak

None of Mpulungu's seasonal hazards are active in August. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Mpulungu sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Mpulungu's monsoon runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Mpulungu?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
8.8
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

August is one of the better times to visit Mpulungu for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Mpulungu in August

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

In August, Mpulungu sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Mpulungu in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mpulungu peaks around February 17 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 10 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 17UV 17Jun 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mpulungu in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Mpulungu is worst in September — around 51 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 7.5× the cleanest month (May, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodSep 951 µg/m³May 107 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar9Good
Apr7Good
May7Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug51Poor
Sep51Poor
Oct35Poor
Nov13Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mpulungu?

Mpulungu sits at 8.8°S, 31.1°E, 800 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Mbala, 29 km away.

SumbawangaLaelaMporokosoChalaNamanyere

Topography around Mpulungu

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Mpulungu.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mpulungu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 176 m around an average of 790 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,008 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,496 m.

The land around Mpulungu is covered by water (43%) within 3 km, water (44%) and trees (25%) within 16 km, and trees (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
176 m
16 km
1,008 m
80 km
1,496 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Mbala 29 km · Matai 68 km · Sumbawanga 104 km · Laela 105 km · Mporokoso 128 km · Chala 132 km · Namanyere 139 km · Kirando 160 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 Mpulungu (-8.7623°, 31.114°, elevation 800 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).