Nchelenge weather in January

In January, Nchelenge sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 211 mm of rain across 27.2 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% 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 Nchelenge's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nchelenge's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
9th warmest
Overnight low
22°
8th coldest
Rainfall
211 mm
27.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
6:00 AM – 6:29 PM
Cloud cover
86%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Nchelenge is town.

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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Nchelenge reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12622
22622
32622
42622
52622
62622
72622
82622
92622
102622
112622
122622
132622
142622
152622
162622
172622
182622
192622
202622
212622
222622
232622
242623
252623
262623
272623
282623
292623
302623
312623

Nchelenge weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 22°21127.212.53.9
Feb26° / 23°18122.512.34.1
Mar26° / 22°25427.212.14.0
Apr26° / 22°13215.911.85.6
May27° / 22°102.111.68.2
Jun25° / 20°0011.59.1
Jul25° / 19°0011.59.3
Aug27° / 21°00.111.78.8
Sep28° / 23°51.611.97.3
Oct28° / 24°5911.712.25.6
Nov27° / 23°18923.212.44.3
Dec26° / 22°24628.812.53.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% 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 91%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1793
2793
3793
4793
5793
6892
7892
8892
9991
10991
11991
121090
131090
141090
151090
161090
171090
18991
19991
20991
21991
22892
23892
24892
25892
26892
27892
28892
29892
30892
31991

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Nchelenge gets around 211 mm of rain over 27.2 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 88% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
189
289
389
489
589
688
788
888
988
1088
1188
1289
1389
1489
1589
1689
1789
1889
1988
2088
2188
2288
2388
2487
2587
2686
2786
2885
2984
3083
3183

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 93% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
11936
21936
31936
41936
51936
61936
71936
81945
91945
101945
111945
121945
131945
141945
151954
161954
171954
181945
191945
201945
211945
221945
231936
241936
250946
260946
270937
280937
290937
300928
310928

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 5:52 AM to 6:06 AM, and sunset from 6:24 PM to 6:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.55:526:24
212.55:536:25
312.55:536:25
412.55:546:25
512.55:546:26
612.55:556:26
712.55:556:27
812.55:566:27
912.55:566:27
1012.55:576:27
1112.55:576:28
1212.55:586:28
1312.55:586:28
1412.55:596:29
1512.55:596:29
1612.56:006:29
1712.56:006:29
1812.56:016:29
1912.56:016:30
2012.56:026:30
2112.56:026:30
2212.56:026:30
2312.56:036:30
2412.56:036:30
2512.46:046:30
2612.46:046:31
2712.46:056:31
2812.46:056:31
2912.46:056:31
3012.46:066:31
3112.46:066:31

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.27 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in September across the year — January's 5.35 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
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
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 Nchelenge

In seasonPeak

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

Nchelenge's monsoon runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Nchelenge?

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
3.7
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nchelenge.

What to pack for Nchelenge in January

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

In January, Nchelenge sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 22°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Nchelenge in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks 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 Nchelenge peaks around February 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near August 12 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 highExtremeFeb 20UV 16Aug 12UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Nchelenge 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 Nchelenge is worst in August — around 77 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 10.7× the cleanest month (May, 7 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateUnhealthyModerateGoodAug 1774 µg/m³May 97 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar9Good
Apr7Good
May7Good
Jun17Moderate
Jul51Poor
Aug77Unhealthy
Sep54Poor
Oct26Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Nchelenge?

Nchelenge sits at 9.3°S, 28.7°E, 933 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Mwansabombwe, 53 km away.

ChiengiPwetoKaputaMporokosoLuwinguMansa

Topography around Nchelenge

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nchelenge has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 64 m around an average of 943 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 148 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 751 m.

The land around Nchelenge is covered by water (36%) within 3 km, water (46%) within 16 km, and trees (46%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
64 m
16 km
148 m
80 km
751 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Mwansabombwe 53 km · Kawambwa 62 km · Chiengi 89 km · Pweto 99 km · Kaputa 141 km · Mporokoso 153 km · Luwingu 166 km · Mansa 207 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 Nchelenge (-9.3451°, 28.734°, elevation 933 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).