Palabana weather in October

In October, Palabana sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 18 mm of rain across 3.6 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Palabana's 6th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palabana's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
1st warmest
Overnight low
19°
11th coldest
Rainfall
18 mm
3.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
5:40 AM – 6:02 PM
Cloud cover
32%
6th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
7.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month.

A typical October day in Palabana reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 2°C warmer than September and about 1°C warmer than November.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13119
23119
33119
43119
53119
63119
73119
83119
93119
103119
113119
123119
133119
143119
153119
163119
173119
183120
193120
203120
213120
223120
233120
243120
253120
263120
273120
283120
293120
303120
313120

Palabana weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 1st-warmest and 7th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 19%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18614
28614
38614
48515
58515
68515
78515
88416
98416
108416
118416
128317
138317
148317
158317
168317
178317
188218
198119
208119
218020
228020
237822
247822
257723
267723
277525
287426
297426
307228
317129

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Palabana gets around 18 mm of rain over 3.6 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 12% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
14
25
35
46
57
67
78
88
99
109
119
1210
1310
1410
1511
1611
1712
1812
1912
2013
2113
2214
2314
2415
2516
2617
2718
2819
2920
3021
3122

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 75% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1871210
2871210
3851320
4851320
5841420
6831430
7821530
8811540
9811540
10801640
11801640
12781750
13781750
14781750
15771850
16771850
17751960
18751960
19751960
20742060
21742060
22722170
23712270
24702280
25692380
26682390
276624100
286425110
296225121
306026131
315926141

Wind in October

Winds average 14 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:51 AM to 5:33 AM, and sunset from 5:59 PM to 6:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.15:515:59
212.25:505:59
312.25:495:59
412.25:485:59
512.25:485:59
612.25:476:00
712.25:466:00
812.25:466:00
912.35:456:00
1012.35:446:00
1112.35:446:00
1212.35:436:01
1312.35:426:01
1412.35:426:01
1512.35:416:01
1612.45:406:02
1712.45:406:02
1812.45:396:02
1912.45:396:02
2012.45:386:02
2112.45:376:03
2212.45:376:03
2312.45:366:03
2412.55:366:04
2512.55:356:04
2612.55:356:04
2712.55:346:05
2812.55:346:05
2912.55:346:05
3012.55:336:06
3112.65:336:06

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 7.23 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — October's 7.23 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.1Intense
37.1Intense
47.2Intense
57.2Intense
67.2Intense
77.2Intense
87.2Intense
97.2Intense
107.2Intense
117.2Intense
127.2Intense
137.2Intense
147.2Intense
157.2Intense
167.2Intense
177.2Intense
187.2Intense
197.2Intense
207.3Intense
217.3Intense
227.3Intense
237.2Intense
247.2Intense
257.2Intense
267.2Intense
277.2Intense
287.2Intense
297.2Intense
307.2Intense
317.2Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Palabana

In seasonPeak

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

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 October a good time to visit Palabana?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
8.0
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Palabana for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Palabana in October

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

In October, Palabana sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Palabana in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 12 (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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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