Sinazongwe weather in December

In December, Sinazongwe sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 278 mm of rain across 21.7 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of December to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Sinazongwe's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sinazongwe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
4th warmest
Overnight low
24°
10th coldest
Rainfall
278 mm
21.7 wet days
Daylight
13 hours
5:36 AM – 6:37 PM
Cloud cover
71%
11th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Sinazongwe is human settlement.

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical December day in Sinazongwe reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12925
22924
32924
42924
52924
62924
72924
82924
92924
102924
112924
122924
132924
142924
152924
162824
172824
182824
192824
202824
212824
222824
232824
242824
252824
262824
272824
282824
292824
302824
312824

How December really feels in Sinazongwe

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Sinazongwe weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 24°34323.912.94.0
Feb28° / 24°27021.412.64.2
Mar28° / 24°17419.512.15.2
Apr27° / 22°52811.67.3
May26° / 20°71.711.28.9
Jun24° / 18°30.6119.3
Jul23° / 17°20.511.19.3
Aug25° / 19°10.211.49.4
Sep29° / 22°10.211.97.8
Oct31° / 25°81.312.45.7
Nov31° / 25°9010.212.84.6
Dec29° / 24°27821.7134.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24357
34159
44060
54060
63862
73664
83664
93466
103268
113268
123169
133070
142971
152971
162971
172971
182971
192971
202971
212872
222971
232872
242872
252872
262971
272971
282971
292872
302872
312971

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Sinazongwe gets around 278 mm of rain over 21.7 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 70% and peaks near 76% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
153
254
355
456
558
660
761
863
965
1067
1169
1271
1372
1473
1574
1675
1775
1875
1975
2076
2176
2276
2376
2476
2576
2676
2776
2875
2975
3075
3175

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 56% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 96% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1185734
2175636
3175537
4175438
5165340
6165241
7155143
8055045
9054847
10044748
11044650
12034453
13034354
14034156
15034057
16023959
17023761
18023662
19023464
20023365
21023266
22013168
23013069
24012970
25012970
26012970
27012970
28012970
29012970
30012970
31012970

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours at the start of December to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:31 AM to 5:43 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:316:29
213.05:316:29
313.05:326:30
413.05:326:30
513.05:326:31
613.05:326:32
713.05:326:32
813.05:336:33
913.05:336:33
1013.05:336:34
1113.05:346:34
1213.05:346:35
1313.05:346:35
1413.05:356:36
1513.05:356:37
1613.05:366:37
1713.05:366:38
1813.05:366:38
1913.05:376:39
2013.05:376:39
2113.05:386:40
2213.05:386:40
2313.05:396:41
2413.05:396:41
2513.05:406:41
2613.05:406:42
2713.05:416:42
2813.05:416:43
2913.05:426:43
3013.05:426:43
3113.05:436:44

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.85 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.6 kWh/m² to a high of 7.24 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.85 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Sinazongwe

In seasonPeak

In December, Sinazongwe sits inside its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Sinazongwe'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 December a good time to visit Sinazongwe?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Sinazongwe for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sinazongwe in December

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

In December, Sinazongwe sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Sinazongwe in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sinazongwe peaks around January 18 at about 16 (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 18UV 16Jul 10UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Sinazongwe in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Sinazongwe is worst in September — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.5× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1827 µg/m³Dec 216 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar7Good
Apr7Good
May7Good
Jun8Good
Jul11Good
Aug18Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct22Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sinazongwe?

Sinazongwe sits at 17.3°S, 27.5°E, 504 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Maamba, 35 km away.

ChomaKalomoMonzeSiavongaMazabukaHwangeKariba

Topography around Sinazongwe

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sinazongwe has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 60 m around an average of 490 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 333 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 945 m.

The land around Sinazongwe is covered by water (41%) and shrubs (21%) within 3 km, water (40%) and shrubs (27%) within 16 km, and shrubs (40%) and trees (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
60 m
16 km
333 m
80 km
945 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Maamba 35 km · Choma 71 km · Kalomo 107 km · Monze 110 km · Siavonga 155 km · Mazabuka 159 km · Hwange 159 km · Kariba 165 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 Sinazongwe (-17.2614°, 27.4618°, elevation 504 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).