Siavonga in Summer

In summer (December, January and February), Siavonga sees average daytime highs around 30°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 700 mm of rain over about 62 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 30°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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

Avg daytime high
30°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
24°C
Rainfall
700 mm
62 wet days
Avg wind
8 km/h
Travel score
3.7
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Siavonga in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 30°C.

A typical summer day in Siavonga reaches about 30°C and drops to 24°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.

20°25°30°35°40°DecJanFeb

How summer really feels in Siavonga

Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 90 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
90
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Siavonga 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
Jan30° / 24°27322.112.93.6
Feb30° / 23°20919.212.63.9
Mar30° / 23°13515.812.14.5
Apr29° / 21°375.711.66.2
May28° / 18°30.611.28.0
Jun26° / 16°10.2119.0
Jul26° / 15°10.211.19.1
Aug28° / 17°00.111.48.1
Sep32° / 21°20.311.95.5
Oct34° / 24°121.812.43.7
Nov33° / 25°781012.83.3
Dec31° / 24°21820.3133.5

Cloud cover in Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Siavonga gets around 700 mm of rain over 62 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%80%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of summer feels oppressive — 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 54 min in early December to 12 h 24 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 5.7 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in summer

Hazard calendar for Siavonga

In seasonPeak

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

Siavonga'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 Siavonga?

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.

3.7
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

summer is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Siavonga.

What to pack for Siavonga in Summer

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

In summer, Siavonga sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 62 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Siavonga in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Siavonga peaks around January 19 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 8 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 19UV 15Jul 10UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Siavonga 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 Siavonga is worst in September — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.7× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1531 µg/m³Dec 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May9Good
Jun12Good
Jul16Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Siavonga?

Siavonga sits at 16.5°S, 28.7°E, 528 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Kariba, 10 km away.

KafueKaroiChilanga TownshipPalabanaChisankaneMazabuka

Topography around Siavonga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Siavonga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 160 m around an average of 505 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 577 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,163 m.

The land around Siavonga is covered by water (55%) within 3 km, water (58%) and shrubs (26%) within 16 km, and shrubs (53%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
160 m
16 km
577 m
80 km
1,163 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
Summer weather nearby: Kariba 10 km · Chirundu 58 km · Kafue 102 km · Karoi 109 km · Chilanga Township 117 km · Palabana 123 km · Chisankane 124 km · Mazabuka 128 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 Siavonga (-16.5382°, 28.7088°, elevation 528 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.