Ndola weather in January

In January, Ndola sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 282 mm of rain across 28.3 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-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 2% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Ndola's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ndola's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
10th warmest
Overnight low
18°
9th coldest
Rainfall
282 mm
28.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:54 AM – 6:35 PM
Cloud cover
88%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Ndola is city in Zambia.

Founded
1904

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 Ndola reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 8°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.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12618
22618
32618
42618
52618
62618
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292618
302618
312618

Ndola weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 1st-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 92%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16892
17892
18892
19892
20892
21892
22793
23694
24694
25694
26694
27694
28793
29793
30892
31892

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Ndola gets around 282 mm of rain over 28.3 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 91% and peaks near 93% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
190
290
390
490
590
690
790
890
990
1090
1190
1290
1391
1491
1592
1692
1792
1893
1993
2093
2193
2293
2393
2493
2593
2693
2792
2892
2991
3091
3190

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 57% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 43% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
125543
215643
315643
415643
515742
615742
715742
815643
915643
1015643
1115643
1215643
1315643
1405743
1505743
1605743
1705743
1805743
1905842
2005842
2105842
2205842
2305842
2405842
2505842
2605842
2705842
2815643
2915643
3015643
3115643

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

Across January, 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
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:46 AM to 6:02 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:466:31
212.75:476:32
312.75:476:32
412.75:486:32
512.75:486:33
612.75:496:33
712.75:496:33
812.75:506:33
912.75:506:34
1012.75:516:34
1112.75:516:34
1212.75:526:35
1312.75:536:35
1412.75:536:35
1512.75:546:35
1612.75:546:35
1712.75:556:35
1812.75:556:36
1912.75:566:36
2012.75:566:36
2112.75:576:36
2212.65:576:36
2312.65:586:36
2412.65:586:36
2512.65:596:36
2612.65:596:36
2712.66:006:36
2812.66:006:36
2912.66:016:36
3012.66:016:36
3112.66:026:36

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.02 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

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 — January's 5.02 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Ndola

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Ndola?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ndola.

What to pack for Ndola in January

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

In January, Ndola sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Ndola 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 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 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 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
January 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).