Nakonde weather in May

In May, Nakonde sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 14 mm of rain across 3.2 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-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 42% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Nakonde's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nakonde's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
9th warmest
Overnight low
15°
4th coldest
Rainfall
14 mm
3.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
5:58 AM – 5:32 PM
Cloud cover
45%
5th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Nakonde is Town in Muchinga Province, Zambia.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical May day in Nakonde reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12516
22515
32515
42515
52515
62515
72515
82515
92515
102515
112515
122515
132515
142515
152515
162515
172515
182515
192515
202515
212514
222514
232514
242514
252514
262514
272514
282514
292514
302514
312514

Nakonde weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 17°27728.512.53.8
Feb25° / 17°21924.612.33.9
Mar25° / 17°24827.512.14.0
Apr25° / 16°12017.211.85.7
May25° / 15°143.211.68.2
Jun24° / 13°00.111.59.1
Jul24° / 12°0011.59.2
Aug26° / 13°10.211.78.8
Sep28° / 15°30.711.97.6
Oct30° / 17°204.812.25.9
Nov29° / 17°11014.512.45.0
Dec26° / 17°24925.212.54.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 30% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 28%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36634
46634
56733
66733
76733
86931
96931
106931
117030
127030
137030
147129
157129
167228
177228
187327
197426
207426
217525
227624
237624
247723
257822
267822
277921
287921
298020
308119
318119

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Nakonde gets around 14 mm of rain over 3.2 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 11% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
123
222
321
419
518
617
716
815
914
1013
1112
1212
1311
1410
1510
169
179
189
198
208
217
227
236
246
255
265
274
284
293
303
312

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 53% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
186131
296229
3116227
4126424
5146422
6166420
7186319
8206317
9226315
10246313
11276112
12296110
1331609
1433598
1535587
1637576
1739565
1840564
1942544
2044533
2146513
2247503
2349482
2452462
2554442
2656422
2759392
2863361
2965341
3068311
3171281

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:56 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 5:36 PM to 5:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.75:565:36
211.75:565:36
311.75:565:36
411.75:565:35
511.65:565:35
611.65:565:35
711.65:575:35
811.65:575:34
911.65:575:34
1011.65:575:34
1111.65:575:33
1211.65:575:33
1311.65:585:33
1411.65:585:33
1511.65:585:33
1611.65:585:32
1711.65:585:32
1811.65:585:32
1911.65:595:32
2011.65:595:32
2111.55:595:32
2211.55:595:32
2311.56:005:32
2411.56:005:32
2511.56:005:31
2611.56:005:31
2711.56:005:31
2811.56:015:31
2911.56:015:31
3011.56:015:31
3111.56:015:31

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.32 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.94 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.32 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
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Nakonde

In seasonPeak

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

Nakonde'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 May a good time to visit Nakonde?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Nakonde in May

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

In May, Nakonde sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Nakonde in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May 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 Nakonde peaks around February 17 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 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 16Jun 16UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Nakonde in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Nakonde is worst in October — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (May, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodOct 1020 µg/m³May 218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar12Good
Apr10Good
May8Good
Jun8Good
Jul11Good
Aug16Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct20Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Nakonde?

Nakonde sits at 9.3°S, 32.7°E, 1,589 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Tunduma, 5.0 km away.

UtenguleKiwiraMbeyaIsoka

Topography around Nakonde

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nakonde has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 199 m around an average of 1,592 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 444 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,568 m.

The land around Nakonde is covered by cropland (58%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, cropland (49%) and shrubs (29%) within 16 km, and cropland (29%), shrubs (25%) and grassland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
199 m
16 km
444 m
80 km
1,568 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Tunduma 5.0 km · Vwawa 33 km · Mlowo 46 km · Chitipa 70 km · Utengule 81 km · Kiwira 89 km · Mbeya 92 km · Isoka 92 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 Nakonde (-9.3421°, 32.745°, elevation 1,589 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).