Ndola weather in December

In December, Ndola sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 262 mm of rain across 27 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-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 5% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ndola's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ndola's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
6th warmest
Overnight low
18°
10th coldest
Rainfall
262 mm
27 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:39 AM – 6:24 PM
Cloud cover
84%
11th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Ndola is city in Zambia.

Founded
1904

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 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Ndola reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 29°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)
12818
22718
32718
42718
52718
62718
72718
82718
92718
102718
112718
122718
132618
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292618
302618
312618

Ndola weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°28228.312.73.7
Feb26° / 18°2272412.44.0
Mar26° / 17°16121.312.14.8
Apr27° / 16°306.411.77.1
May26° / 14°30.811.48.5
Jun25° / 12°00.111.39.2
Jul25° / 12°0011.39.3
Aug27° / 14°0011.68.5
Sep30° / 17°10.411.96.4
Oct31° / 19°163.312.35.1
Nov29° / 19°11315.812.64.5
Dec26° / 18°2622712.73.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22476
32476
42278
52278
62179
72080
81981
91783
101783
111585
121486
131387
141288
151189
161090
171090
18991
19892
20892
21892
22892
23892
24892
25892
26991
27991
28991
29892
30892
31991

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Ndola gets around 262 mm of rain over 27 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 87% and peaks near 91% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
177
278
378
479
580
681
783
884
985
1085
1186
1287
1388
1488
1589
1689
1789
1890
1990
2090
2190
2290
2390
2490
2590
2690
2790
2891
2990
3090
3190

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 36% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15106322
25106223
3496324
4486325
5486226
6376327
7376228
8366229
9256330
10256231
11146332
12146233
13146134
14136036
15135937
16135838
17135739
18035740
19035641
20035641
21035542
22035443
23035443
24025444
25025444
26025444
27025444
28025444
29025444
30025543
31025543

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 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 5:34 AM to 5:46 AM, and sunset from 6:16 PM to 6:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:346:16
212.75:346:17
312.75:346:18
412.75:356:18
512.75:356:19
612.75:356:19
712.75:366:20
812.75:366:20
912.75:366:21
1012.75:376:21
1112.75:376:22
1212.85:376:22
1312.85:386:23
1412.85:386:23
1512.85:386:24
1612.85:396:24
1712.85:396:25
1812.85:406:25
1912.85:406:26
2012.85:416:26
2112.85:416:27
2212.85:426:27
2312.85:426:28
2412.85:426:28
2512.85:436:29
2612.85:436:29
2712.85:446:30
2812.85:446:30
2912.85:456:30
3012.85:456:31
3112.85:466:31

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.27 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.02 kWh/m² to a high of 6.99 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.27 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Ndola

In seasonPeak

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

Ndola'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 Ndola?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ndola.

What to pack for Ndola in December

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

In December, Ndola sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Ndola in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ndola peaks around March 10 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 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 highExtremeMar 10UV 15Jun 19UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Ndola 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 Ndola is worst in August — around 55 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.2× the cleanest month (May, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModeratePoorModerateAug 2054 µg/m³May 1011 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun19Moderate
Jul37Poor
Aug55Unhealthy
Sep48Poor
Oct30Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec14Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Ndola?

Ndola sits at 13.0°S, 28.6°E, 1,307 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Mapalo, 5.0 km away.

ChambishiMpongwe

Topography around Ndola

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ndola has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 94 m around an average of 1,283 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 245 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 562 m.

The land around Ndola is covered by artificial surfaces (60%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, cropland (34%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (64%) within 80 km.

3 km
94 m
16 km
245 m
80 km
562 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Mapalo 5.0 km · Luanshya 31 km · Kitwe 49 km · Kalulushi 60 km · Mufulira 63 km · Mokambo 67 km · Chambishi 73 km · Mpongwe 80 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 Ndola (-12.9587°, 28.6366°, elevation 1,307 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).