Palabana weather in December

In December, Palabana sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 282 mm of rain across 25.4 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-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 10% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of December to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Palabana's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palabana's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
4th warmest
Overnight low
19°
10th coldest
Rainfall
282 mm
25.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:35 AM – 6:29 PM
Cloud cover
81%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Palabana reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°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 30°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)
12819
22819
32819
42719
52719
62719
72719
82719
92719
102719
112719
122719
132719
142719
152719
162719
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302719
312719

Palabana weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 19°30827.112.83.9
Feb26° / 19°2432412.54.0
Mar26° / 18°16621.312.14.9
Apr26° / 16°387.811.77.2
May25° / 13°51.411.38.8
Jun23° / 11°20.611.18.9
Jul22° / 11°20.311.28.9
Aug26° / 13°10.311.59.1
Sep29° / 17°30.511.97.4
Oct31° / 19°183.612.45.5
Nov30° / 20°12015.312.74.5
Dec27° / 19°28225.412.94.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 81%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33070
42971
52872
62674
72674
82476
92377
102179
111981
121981
131882
141684
151684
161585
171585
181585
191585
201585
211486
221387
231387
241387
251486
261486
271486
281585
291585
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Palabana gets around 282 mm of rain over 25.4 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 82% and peaks near 87% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
169
269
370
471
572
674
775
877
978
1080
1181
1282
1383
1484
1584
1685
1785
1885
1986
2086
2186
2286
2386
2487
2587
2687
2787
2887
2987
3087
3187

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 69% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 69% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
18143445
27133346
37133248
46133249
55123152
65123053
74112956
84102957
93102859
10392761
11282664
12282565
13272467
14162370
15152272
16152173
17142075
18141976
19131977
20031879
21031780
22031780
23021781
24021781
25021682
26021682
27021682
28021781
29011782
30011782
31011782

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:30 AM to 5:42 AM, and sunset from 6:21 PM to 6:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:306:21
212.95:306:22
312.95:306:22
412.95:316:23
512.95:316:23
612.95:316:24
712.95:326:25
812.95:326:25
912.95:326:26
1012.95:326:26
1112.95:336:27
1212.95:336:27
1312.95:336:28
1412.95:346:28
1512.95:346:29
1612.95:356:29
1712.95:356:30
1812.95:366:30
1912.95:366:31
2012.95:366:31
2112.95:376:32
2212.95:376:32
2312.95:386:33
2412.95:386:33
2512.95:396:34
2612.95:396:34
2712.95:406:35
2812.95:406:35
2912.95:416:35
3012.95:416:36
3112.95:426:36

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.54 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.74 kWh/m² to a high of 7.23 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.54 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
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 December

Hazard calendar for Palabana

In seasonPeak

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

Palabana'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 Palabana?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Palabana for sightseeing.

What to pack for Palabana in December

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

In December, Palabana sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 19°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Palabana in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Palabana peaks around January 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 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 highExtremeJan 19UV 16Jun 23UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan17Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Palabana 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 Palabana is worst in September — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateSep 1037 µg/m³Dec 2112 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug36Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct26Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Palabana?

Palabana sits at 15.4°S, 28.5°E, 1,226 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Ntandabale, 14 km away.

Topography around Palabana

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Palabana has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 130 m around an average of 1,206 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 326 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,102 m.

The land around Palabana is covered by shrubs (32%), trees (29%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, trees (35%), grassland (26%) and shrubs (24%) within 16 km, and trees (31%), shrubs (26%) and grassland (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
130 m
16 km
326 m
80 km
1,102 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Ntandabale 14 km · Madido 20 km · Chisankane 20 km · Chongwe 20 km · Lusaka 27 km · Chilanga Township 32 km · Chunga 32 km · Namalombwe 37 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 Palabana (-15.4462°, 28.5344°, elevation 1,226 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).