Palabana in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Palabana sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 832 mm of rain over about 77 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels muggy.
Summer is Palabana's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Palabana's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 19°C
- Rainfall
- 832 mm
- 77 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Palabana in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical summer day in Palabana reaches about 26°C and drops to 19°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
Palabana weather by month
How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26° / 19° | 308 | 27.1 | 12.8 | 3.9 |
| Feb | 26° / 19° | 243 | 24 | 12.5 | 4.0 |
| Mar | 26° / 18° | 166 | 21.3 | 12.1 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 26° / 16° | 38 | 7.8 | 11.7 | 7.2 |
| May | 25° / 13° | 5 | 1.4 | 11.3 | 8.8 |
| Jun | 23° / 11° | 2 | 0.6 | 11.1 | 8.9 |
| Jul | 22° / 11° | 2 | 0.3 | 11.2 | 8.9 |
| Aug | 26° / 13° | 1 | 0.3 | 11.5 | 9.1 |
| Sep | 29° / 17° | 3 | 0.5 | 11.9 | 7.4 |
| Oct | 31° / 19° | 18 | 3.6 | 12.4 | 5.5 |
| Nov | 30° / 20° | 120 | 15.3 | 12.7 | 4.5 |
| Dec | 27° / 19° | 282 | 25.4 | 12.9 | 4.1 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Palabana gets around 832 mm of rain over 77 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 8 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min in early December to 12 h 18 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 5.4 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Palabana
In summer, Palabana overlaps 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.
Is summer a good time to visit Palabana?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a reasonable time to visit Palabana for sightseeing.
What to pack for Palabana in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Palabana sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 19°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 77 days see rain.
UV index in Palabana in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages 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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 17 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 12 | Extreme |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 14 | Extreme |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
Air quality in Palabana in Summer
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where summer 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 22 | 28 | 36 | 37 | 26 | 15 | 11 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Moderate |
| Feb | 14 | Moderate |
| Mar | 13 | Moderate |
| Apr | 14 | Moderate |
| May | 17 | Moderate |
| Jun | 22 | Moderate |
| Jul | 28 | Moderate |
| Aug | 36 | Poor |
| Sep | 37 | Poor |
| Oct | 26 | Moderate |
| Nov | 15 | Moderate |
| Dec | 11 | Good |
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.
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
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.