Mumbwa weather in December

In December, Mumbwa sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 250 mm of rain across 25.1 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of December to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mumbwa's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mumbwa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
4th warmest
Overnight low
19°
10th coldest
Rainfall
250 mm
25.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:41 AM – 6:34 PM
Cloud cover
82%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Mumbwa 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 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mumbwa reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 30°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)
12819
22819
32819
42819
52819
62819
72819
82819
92819
102819
112819
122819
132819
142719
152719
162719
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302719
312719

How December really feels in Mumbwa

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.

Mumbwa weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 19°26625.712.84.0
Feb27° / 19°21521.412.54.3
Mar27° / 18°14218.612.15.2
Apr27° / 16°314.811.77.5
May26° / 13°20.611.38.8
Jun24° / 11°0011.19.3
Jul24° / 11°0011.29.3
Aug27° / 13°0011.58.8
Sep30° / 17°20.311.96.6
Oct32° / 20°173.412.34.9
Nov30° / 20°11914.812.74.2
Dec28° / 19°25025.112.94.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22575
32575
42575
52575
62377
72377
82179
92080
101981
111882
121783
131783
141783
151684
161585
171585
181585
191585
201585
211486
221486
231486
241486
251486
261585
271585
281585
291585
301585
311684

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mumbwa gets around 250 mm of rain over 25.1 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 81% and peaks near 86% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
167
268
369
470
571
672
774
875
977
1078
1179
1281
1382
1483
1584
1685
1785
1885
1986
2086
2186
2286
2386
2486
2586
2686
2786
2885
2985
3084
3184

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 (%)
15124835
25124736
35114638
44114639
54104541
64104443
7394345
8384247
9384049
10273952
11263854
12263755
13253657
14253459
15153361
16143263
17143164
18143065
19143065
20132967
21132967
22132868
23132868
24132868
25132868
26132868
27022870
28022870
29022870
30022870
31022969

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of December to 12 h 54 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 5:37 AM to 5:49 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:376:26
212.85:376:27
312.85:376:27
412.85:376:28
512.85:386:28
612.95:386:29
712.95:386:30
812.95:396:30
912.95:396:31
1012.95:396:31
1112.95:406:32
1212.95:406:32
1312.95:406:33
1412.95:416:33
1512.95:416:34
1612.95:416:34
1712.95:426:35
1812.95:426:35
1912.95:436:36
2012.95:436:36
2112.95:446:37
2212.95:446:37
2312.95:456:38
2412.95:456:38
2512.95:466:39
2612.95:466:39
2712.95:476:40
2812.95:476:40
2912.95:486:40
3012.95:486:41
3112.95:496:41

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.45 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.97 kWh/m² to a high of 7.15 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.45 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mumbwa

In seasonPeak

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

Mumbwa'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 Mumbwa?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mumbwa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mumbwa in December

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

In December, Mumbwa sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mumbwa 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 Mumbwa peaks around January 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 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 20UV 16Jun 21UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mumbwa 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 Mumbwa is worst in August — around 38 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.6× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodAug 1537 µg/m³Dec 218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar9Good
Apr9Good
May12Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul32Moderate
Aug38Poor
Sep28Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mumbwa?

Mumbwa sits at 15.0°S, 27.1°E, 1,185 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Namwala, 108 km away.

NamwalaNampundweLusaka WestMazabukaNamalombweChungaItezhi-TezhiLusaka

Topography around Mumbwa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mumbwa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 86 m around an average of 1,181 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 339 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 564 m.

The land around Mumbwa is covered by grassland (33%) within 3 km, grassland (36%), cropland (24%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (38%) and trees (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
86 m
16 km
339 m
80 km
564 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswetland
December weather nearby: Namwala 108 km · Nampundwe 109 km · Lusaka West 119 km · Mazabuka 122 km · Namalombwe 129 km · Chunga 135 km · Itezhi-Tezhi 138 km · Lusaka 140 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 Mumbwa (-14.9829°, 27.0619°, elevation 1,185 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).