Solwezi weather in December

In December, Solwezi sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 278 mm of rain across 28.3 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Solwezi's 11th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Solwezi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
8th warmest
Overnight low
17°
8th coldest
Rainfall
278 mm
28.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:49 AM – 6:32 PM
Cloud cover
86%
11th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Solwezi is city.

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 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Solwezi reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12717
22617
32617
42617
52617
62617
72617
82617
92617
102617
112617
122617
132617
142617
152617
162617
172617
182617
192617
202617
212617
222617
232617
242617
252617
262617
272617
282617
292617
302617
312617

Solwezi weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 17°2792812.63.7
Feb26° / 17°23324.612.43.9
Mar26° / 17°20924.312.14.4
Apr26° / 16°48811.76.8
May27° / 14°30.811.48.4
Jun25° / 12°00.111.39.1
Jul25° / 11°0011.49.2
Aug28° / 14°0011.68.1
Sep31° / 17°30.811.95.9
Oct31° / 18°315.812.34.8
Nov28° / 18°16220.712.64.3
Dec26° / 17°27828.312.73.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 90%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21684
31684
41684
51684
61585
71387
81288
91288
101189
111090
121090
13991
14892
15892
16892
17892
18892
19892
20793
21793
22793
23793
24892
25892
26892
27892
28892
29793
30793
31793

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Solwezi gets around 278 mm of rain over 28.3 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 91% and peaks near 94% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
186
287
387
488
588
689
790
891
991
1092
1193
1293
1394
1494
1594
1694
1794
1894
1994
2093
2193
2293
2392
2492
2592
2691
2791
2891
2991
3091
3191

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 81% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 17% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1148015
2138115
3138115
4138115
5138115
6128215
7128215
8028315
9018415
10018415
11018415
12018415
13018415
14018415
15018415
16018415
17018316
18028216
19028216
20028117
21028117
22028018
23028018
24028018
25027919
26027919
27027919
28027919
29027820
30027820
31027820

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December, the calmest month.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:44 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 6:24 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:446:24
212.75:456:25
312.75:456:25
412.75:456:26
512.75:456:26
612.75:466:27
712.75:466:27
812.75:466:28
912.75:476:28
1012.75:476:29
1112.75:476:29
1212.75:486:30
1312.75:486:30
1412.75:486:31
1512.75:496:31
1612.75:496:32
1712.75:506:32
1812.75:506:33
1912.75:516:33
2012.75:516:34
2112.75:516:34
2212.75:526:35
2312.75:526:35
2412.75:536:36
2512.75:536:36
2612.75:546:37
2712.75:546:37
2812.75:556:38
2912.75:556:38
3012.75:566:38
3112.75:566:39

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.12 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5 kWh/m² to a high of 6.78 kWh/m² in September across the year — December's 5.12 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Solwezi

In seasonPeak

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

Solwezi's monsoon runs November–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 Solwezi?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Solwezi.

What to pack for Solwezi in December

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

In December, Solwezi sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Solwezi 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 Solwezi peaks around January 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 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 19UV 16Jun 19UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Solwezi 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 Solwezi is worst in August — around 87 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 9.6× the cleanest month (April, 9 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyPoorModerateGoodAug 1584 µg/m³Apr 129 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar10Good
Apr9Good
May11Good
Jun29Moderate
Jul67Unhealthy
Aug87Unhealthy
Sep53Poor
Oct32Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Solwezi?

Solwezi sits at 12.2°S, 26.4°E, 1,381 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Kansanshi, 9.0 km away.

ChisasaKipushiLubumbashiLikasiKamboveKasempa

Topography around Solwezi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Solwezi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m around an average of 1,357 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 235 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 501 m.

The land around Solwezi is covered by artificial surfaces (48%) within 3 km, grassland (38%) and trees (28%) within 16 km, and trees (79%) within 80 km.

3 km
83 m
16 km
235 m
80 km
501 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Kansanshi 9.0 km · Manyama 61 km · Chisasa 97 km · Kipushi 104 km · Lubumbashi 131 km · Likasi 137 km · Kambove 146 km · Kasempa 156 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 Solwezi (-12.1688°, 26.3894°, elevation 1,381 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).