Mpulungu weather in January

In January, Mpulungu sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 271 mm of rain across 27.3 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-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 2% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of January to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mpulungu's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpulungu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
12th warmest
Overnight low
20°
6th coldest
Rainfall
271 mm
27.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
5:51 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
87%
12th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.34 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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical January 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 27°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)
12520
22520
32520
42520
52520
62520
72520
82520
92520
102520
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 January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 1st-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% 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 92%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1991
2991
3991
4892
5892
6892
7793
8793
9793
10793
11793
12793
13793
14793
15793
16793
17892
18892
19892
20892
21892
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mpulungu gets around 271 mm of rain over 27.3 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 (%)
190
290
390
491
591
691
791
891
991
1091
1191
1291
1390
1490
1590
1690
1789
1889
1989
2088
2188
2287
2387
2486
2586
2686
2785
2885
2985
3085
3185

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 86% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 86% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11387
21387
31387
41387
51387
61486
71486
81486
91486
101585
111585
121585
131585
141585
151585
161585
171585
181585
191585
201585
211585
221585
231486
241486
251486
261486
271486
281486
291486
301486
311486

Wind in January

Winds average 4 km/h in January.

Across January, 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
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of January to 12 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:44 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 6:14 PM to 6:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.55:446:14
212.55:446:14
312.55:456:15
412.55:456:15
512.55:466:15
612.55:466:16
712.55:476:16
812.55:476:16
912.55:486:17
1012.55:486:17
1112.55:496:17
1212.55:496:18
1312.55:506:18
1412.55:506:18
1512.55:516:18
1612.55:516:19
1712.55:526:19
1812.55:526:19
1912.45:526:19
2012.45:536:19
2112.45:536:20
2212.45:546:20
2312.45:546:20
2412.45:556:20
2512.45:556:20
2612.45:556:20
2712.45:566:20
2812.45:566:20
2912.45:576:20
3012.45:576:20
3112.45:576:20

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.34 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

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 — January's 5.34 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mpulungu

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Mpulungu?

Our two travel scores rate January 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
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mpulungu.

What to pack for Mpulungu in January

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

In January, Mpulungu sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 20°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mpulungu 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 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 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 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
January 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).