Mpulungu weather in December

In December, Mpulungu sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 267 mm of rain across 28 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of December to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mpulungu's 10th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpulungu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
11th warmest
Overnight low
20°
8th coldest
Rainfall
267 mm
28 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
5:36 AM – 6:07 PM
Cloud cover
82%
10th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Mpulungu is human settlement 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 25°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mpulungu reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12620
22620
32620
42620
52620
62620
72620
82620
92620
102620
112520
122520
132520
142520
152520
162520
172520
182520
192520
202520
212520
222520
232520
242520
252520
262520
272520
282520
292520
302520
312520

Mpulungu weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-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 December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% 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%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22179
32179
42080
51882
61882
71882
81684
91684
101585
111585
121486
131486
141486
151486
161486
171486
181486
191486
201387
211387
221387
231387
241288
251288
261189
271189
281189
291189
301090
31991

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mpulungu gets around 267 mm of rain over 28 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 90% and peaks near 92% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
184
285
386
486
587
687
788
889
989
1090
1190
1291
1391
1492
1592
1692
1792
1892
1992
2092
2191
2291
2391
2491
2591
2691
2790
2890
2990
3090
3190

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 84% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 84% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
112475
212376
312277
402179
502080
602080
701981
801882
901882
1001783
1101783
1201684
1301684
1401684
1501684
1601585
1701585
1801585
1901585
2001585
2101486
2201486
2301486
2401486
2501387
2601387
2701387
2801387
2901387
3001387
3101387

Wind in December

Winds average 4 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of December to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:31 AM to 5:44 AM, and sunset from 6:00 PM to 6:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.55:316:00
212.55:316:00
312.55:326:00
412.55:326:01
512.55:326:01
612.55:336:02
712.55:336:02
812.55:336:03
912.55:346:03
1012.55:346:04
1112.55:346:04
1212.55:356:05
1312.55:356:05
1412.55:366:06
1512.55:366:06
1612.55:366:07
1712.55:376:07
1812.55:376:08
1912.55:386:08
2012.55:386:09
2112.55:396:09
2212.55:396:10
2312.55:406:10
2412.55:406:11
2512.55:416:11
2612.55:416:12
2712.55:426:12
2812.55:426:13
2912.55:436:13
3012.55:436:13
3112.55:446:14

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.44 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 — December's 5.44 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mpulungu

In seasonPeak

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

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 December a good time to visit Mpulungu?

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
3.6
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mpulungu.

What to pack for Mpulungu in December

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

In December, Mpulungu sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 20°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mpulungu 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 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 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 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
December 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).