Nchelenge weather in May

In May, Nchelenge sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 10 mm of rain across 2.1 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Nchelenge's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nchelenge's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
22°
4th coldest
Rainfall
10 mm
2.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:14 AM – 5:49 PM
Cloud cover
34%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.78 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Nchelenge is town.

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 27°C through the month.

A typical May day in Nchelenge reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12722
22722
32722
42722
52722
62722
72722
82722
92722
102722
112722
122722
132722
142722
152722
162722
172722
182722
192722
202721
212721
222721
232721
242621
252621
262621
272621
282621
292621
302621
312621

Nchelenge weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26832
36931
47030
57129
67327
77327
87426
97624
107624
117723
127723
137822
147822
157921
167921
178020
188020
198119
208218
218218
228317
238416
248416
258515
268614
278614
288713
298713
308713
318713

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Nchelenge gets around 10 mm of rain over 2.1 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 7% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
217
316
415
514
613
712
811
910
109
118
127
137
146
156
165
175
184
194
204
213
223
233
243
252
262
272
282
291
301
311

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 19% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
10842491
20944461
301145431
401246410
501347390
601548360
711749340
811850310
912050290
1012250270
1112352240
1212552220
1312752200
1412853180
1513053160
1613154140
1713254130
1813354120
1923552110
2023652100
212375290
222385280
233395170
244405070
254414960
265424750
277434550
288454340
299464140
3011473930
3113483630

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 6:12 AM to 6:17 AM, and sunset from 5:53 PM to 5:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:125:53
211.76:125:52
311.76:125:52
411.76:125:51
511.66:125:51
611.66:135:51
711.66:135:51
811.66:135:50
911.66:135:50
1011.66:135:50
1111.66:135:50
1211.66:135:49
1311.66:145:49
1411.66:145:49
1511.66:145:49
1611.66:145:49
1711.66:145:48
1811.66:145:48
1911.66:155:48
2011.66:155:48
2111.56:155:48
2211.56:155:48
2311.56:165:48
2411.56:165:48
2511.56:165:48
2611.56:165:47
2711.56:165:47
2811.56:175:47
2911.56:175:47
3011.56:175:47
3111.56:175:47

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.78 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 — May's 5.78 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Nchelenge

In seasonPeak

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

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 May a good time to visit Nchelenge?

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
8.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Nchelenge in May

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

In May, Nchelenge sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 22°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Nchelenge in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (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 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 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
May 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).