Nakonde in Summer

In summer (December, January and February), Nakonde sees average daytime highs around 25°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 746 mm of rain over about 78 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 25°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels humid.

Summer is Nakonde's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Nakonde's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
25°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
17°C
Rainfall
746 mm
78 wet days
Avg wind
6 km/h
Travel score
4.0
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Nakonde in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 25°C.

A typical summer day in Nakonde reaches about 25°C and drops to 17°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

15°20°25°30°DecJanFeb

Nakonde weather by month

How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Nakonde gets around 746 mm of rain over 78 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%80%100%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Summer

Winds average 6 km/h across summer.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min in early December to 12 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 5.6 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in summer

Hazard calendar for Nakonde

In seasonPeak

In summer, Nakonde overlaps its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 summer a good time to visit Nakonde?

Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

4.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

summer is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nakonde.

What to pack for Nakonde in Summer

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

In summer, Nakonde sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 78 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Nakonde in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 15 (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 Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where summer 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
Summer 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.