Ndola weather in March

In March, Ndola sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 161 mm of rain across 21.3 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 4th-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 10% of the time in March, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Ndola's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ndola's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
6th warmest
Overnight low
17°
7th coldest
Rainfall
161 mm
21.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:12 AM – 6:18 PM
Cloud cover
73%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Ndola is city in Zambia.

Founded
1904

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical March day in Ndola reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°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 28°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12618
22618
32618
42618
52618
62618
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132617
142617
152617
162617
172717
182717
192717
202717
212717
222717
232717
242717
252717
262717
272617
282617
292617
302617
312617

Ndola weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 6th-warmest and 4th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11684
21684
31783
41882
51981
61981
72080
82278
92278
102476
112575
122575
132674
142773
152872
162872
172971
183070
193070
203169
213367
223367
233565
243565
253763
263961
274060
284159
294258
304456
314555

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Ndola gets around 161 mm of rain over 21.3 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 68% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
184
284
383
482
580
679
778
877
976
1074
1173
1272
1371
1470
1570
1669
1768
1867
1966
2065
2164
2263
2361
2460
2558
2657
2755
2853
2952
3050
3148

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the humid band about 63% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 27% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1035839
2035938
3045937
4046036
5046135
6056134
7056233
8056233
9066232
10066331
11066430
12066430
13076429
14076528
15176428
16176527
17186526
18186526
19186625
20196624
212106424
222116423
232116522
242136421
252146420
263156319
273166318
283186316
294196215
304216114
314226113

Wind in March

Winds average 8 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:11 AM to 6:13 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:116:27
212.36:116:26
312.26:116:26
412.26:116:25
512.26:116:25
612.26:116:24
712.26:116:23
812.26:126:23
912.26:126:22
1012.26:126:22
1112.26:126:21
1212.16:126:20
1312.16:126:20
1412.16:126:19
1512.16:126:18
1612.16:126:18
1712.16:126:17
1812.16:136:16
1912.16:136:16
2012.06:136:15
2112.06:136:14
2212.06:136:14
2312.06:136:13
2412.06:136:12
2512.06:136:12
2612.06:136:11
2712.06:136:10
2811.96:136:10
2911.96:136:09
3011.96:136:08
3111.96:136:08

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.36 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 — March's 5.36 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Ndola

In seasonPeak

In March, 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 March a good time to visit Ndola?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Ndola for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ndola in March

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

In March, Ndola sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Ndola in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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