Zambezi weather in December

In December, Zambezi sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 241 mm of rain across 27.5 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Zambezi's 11th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zambezi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
9th warmest
Overnight low
19°
8th coldest
Rainfall
241 mm
27.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
6:00 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
86%
11th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Zambezi is human settlement in North-Western Province, Zambia.

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 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Zambezi reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 29°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)
12819
22819
32719
42719
52719
62719
72719
82719
92719
102719
112719
122719
132719
142719
152719
162719
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302719
312719

How December really feels in Zambezi

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.

Zambezi weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 19°24227.412.73.7
Feb27° / 19°22824.212.53.9
Mar27° / 19°19023.212.14.4
Apr28° / 18°396.211.76.6
May28° / 16°10.111.47.7
Jun27° / 13°0011.29.0
Jul27° / 12°0011.38.9
Aug30° / 15°0011.66.6
Sep33° / 19°41.211.94.4
Oct33° / 20°388.512.33.6
Nov29° / 19°1572212.63.7
Dec27° / 19°24127.512.83.7

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 (%)
11486
21387
31288
41189
51189
61189
71189
81189
91189
101090
111090
121090
131090
141090
151189
161189
171189
181189
191189
201189
211189
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29892
30892
31892

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Zambezi gets around 241 mm of rain over 27.5 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 89% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
186
287
387
487
588
688
788
888
989
1089
1189
1289
1389
1489
1589
1689
1789
1889
1989
2088
2189
2289
2389
2489
2589
2689
2789
2889
2989
3089
3188

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 94% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 94% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11891
21792
31792
41792
51693
60694
70694
80694
90694
100694
110694
120595
130595
140595
150595
160595
170595
180595
190595
200595
210595
220595
230595
240595
250595
260496
270496
280496
290496
300496
310496

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 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
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:55 AM to 6:07 AM, and sunset from 6:40 PM to 6:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:556:40
212.75:556:40
312.85:566:41
412.85:566:41
512.85:566:42
612.85:566:42
712.85:576:43
812.85:576:43
912.85:576:44
1012.85:586:44
1112.85:586:45
1212.85:586:45
1312.85:596:46
1412.85:596:47
1512.85:596:47
1612.86:006:48
1712.86:006:48
1812.86:016:49
1912.86:016:49
2012.86:026:50
2112.86:026:50
2212.86:036:51
2312.86:036:51
2412.86:046:51
2512.86:046:52
2612.86:056:52
2712.86:056:53
2812.86:066:53
2912.86:066:54
3012.86:076:54
3112.86:076:54

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.14 kWh/m² to a high of 6.76 kWh/m² in September across the year — December's 5.24 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Zambezi

In seasonPeak

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

Zambezi'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 Zambezi?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Zambezi.

What to pack for Zambezi in December

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

In December, Zambezi sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Zambezi 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 Zambezi peaks around January 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 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 20UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Zambezi 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 Zambezi is worst in September — around 89 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 14.2× the cleanest month (April, 6 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorUnhealthyGoodSep 1485 µg/m³Apr 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb9Good
Mar8Good
Apr6Good
May9Good
Jun21Moderate
Jul35Poor
Aug62Unhealthy
Sep89Unhealthy
Oct41Poor
Nov10Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Zambezi?

Zambezi sits at 13.5°S, 23.1°E, 1,079 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Chavuma, 70 km away.

LukuluKabompoManyingaKalaboCazomboMonguLumbala

Topography around Zambezi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zambezi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 51 m around an average of 1,054 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 78 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 390 m.

The land around Zambezi is covered by grassland (39%) within 3 km, trees (58%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) and grassland (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
51 m
16 km
78 m
80 km
390 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Chavuma 70 km · Lukulu 93 km · Kabompo 119 km · Manyinga 134 km · Kalabo 168 km · Cazombo 184 km · Mongu 190 km · Lumbala 191 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 Zambezi (-13.5432°, 23.1047°, elevation 1,079 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).