Petauke in Summer

In summer (December, January and February), Petauke sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 723 mm of rain over about 71 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs ease from about 30°C in early December to 28°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels muggy.

Summer is Petauke's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Petauke's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
28°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
20°C
Rainfall
723 mm
71 wet days
Avg wind
8 km/h
Travel score
3.9
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Petauke in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 30°C in early December to 28°C by late February.

A typical summer day in Petauke reaches about 28°C and drops to 20°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.

15°20°25°30°35°DecJanFeb

How summer really feels in Petauke

Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

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

summer sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Petauke 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.

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 Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Petauke gets around 723 mm of rain over 71 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%80%100%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Summer

Winds average 8 km/h across summer.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min in early December to 12 h 18 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 5.5 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in summer

Hazard calendar for Petauke

In seasonPeak

In summer, Petauke overlaps its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 summer a good time to visit Petauke?

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.

3.9
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

summer is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Petauke.

What to pack for Petauke in Summer

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

In summer, Petauke sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 71 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Petauke in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 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 Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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