Petauke weather in October

In October, Petauke sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 9 mm of rain across 2 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Petauke's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Petauke's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
1st warmest
Overnight low
21°
11th coldest
Rainfall
9 mm
2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:30 AM – 5:49 PM
Cloud cover
34%
5th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Petauke is human settlement in Zambia.

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month.

A typical October day in Petauke reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 2°C warmer than September and on par with November.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13220
23220
33220
43220
53320
63321
73321
83321
93321
103321
113321
123321
133321
143321
153321
163321
173321
183321
193321
203321
213321
223322
233322
243322
253322
263422
273422
283422
293422
303422
313422

How October really feels in Petauke

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in October is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Petauke 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
Jan28° / 20°2722612.73.9
Feb28° / 20°2152112.54.3
Mar28° / 20°13918.412.15.1
Apr28° / 18°265.511.77.2
May27° / 16°5111.38.3
Jun25° / 14°10.111.29.0
Jul25° / 14°10.211.29.0
Aug28° / 16°10.111.58.2
Sep31° / 19°10.411.96.0
Oct33° / 21°9212.34.4
Nov32° / 22°751112.73.6
Dec29° / 21°23524.312.83.6

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 15%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18812
28812
38812
48812
58812
68812
78812
88812
98812
108812
118812
128812
138713
148713
158614
168614
178614
188515
198515
208515
218416
228416
238317
248317
258218
268119
278119
288020
297921
307921
317723

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Petauke gets around 9 mm of rain over 2 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 7% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
13
24
34
45
55
65
76
86
96
107
117
127
137
147
157
167
177
187
197
207
217
227
237
247
257
268
278
289
2910
3011
3112

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 69% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1841420
2831520
3811630
4801730
5791740
6781840
7761950
8761950
9752050
10732160
11732160
12722260
13712270
14702370
15702370
16692470
17692470
18682570
19682570
20672670
21662770
22662770
23652870
24632980
25623080
26613090
27593191
285831101
295632111
305432122
315332132

Wind in October

Winds average 16 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:40 AM to 5:23 AM, and sunset from 5:47 PM to 5:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.15:405:47
212.15:395:48
312.25:385:48
412.25:385:48
512.25:375:48
612.25:365:48
712.25:365:48
812.25:355:48
912.25:345:48
1012.25:345:48
1112.35:335:49
1212.35:325:49
1312.35:325:49
1412.35:315:49
1512.35:315:49
1612.35:305:49
1712.35:295:50
1812.45:295:50
1912.45:285:50
2012.45:285:50
2112.45:275:51
2212.45:275:51
2312.45:265:51
2412.45:265:51
2512.45:255:52
2612.45:255:52
2712.55:255:52
2812.55:245:53
2912.55:245:53
3012.55:235:53
3112.55:235:53

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.97 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.73 kWh/m² to a high of 6.97 kWh/m² in October across the year — October's 6.97 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.9Intense
26.9Intense
36.9Intense
46.9Intense
56.9Intense
66.9Intense
76.9Intense
86.9Intense
97.0Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
127.0Intense
137.0Intense
147.0Intense
157.0Intense
167.0Intense
177.0Intense
187.0Intense
197.0Intense
207.0Intense
217.0Intense
227.0Intense
237.0Intense
247.0Intense
257.0Intense
267.0Intense
277.0Intense
287.0Intense
297.0Intense
307.0Intense
317.0Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Petauke

In seasonPeak

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

Petauke'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 Petauke?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
7.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Petauke in October

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

In October, Petauke sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Petauke in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Petauke peaks around January 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 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 20UV 16Jun 22UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Petauke 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 Petauke is worst in September — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1026 µg/m³Apr 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb8Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May7Good
Jun11Good
Jul18Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Petauke?

Petauke sits at 14.2°S, 31.3°E, 1,015 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Sinda, 48 km away.

KateteChipataSerenjeMchinjiSongoMkushi

Topography around Petauke

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Petauke has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 108 m around an average of 1,000 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 267 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 986 m.

The land around Petauke is covered by cropland (43%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, cropland (55%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and cropland (34%) and shrubs (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
108 m
16 km
267 m
80 km
986 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
October weather nearby: Sinda 48 km · Nyimba 65 km · Katete 85 km · Chipata 159 km · Serenje 162 km · Mchinji 175 km · Songo 216 km · Mkushi 219 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 Petauke (-14.2412°, 31.3197°, elevation 1,015 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).