Zambezi weather in January

In January, Zambezi sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 242 mm of rain across 27.4 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-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 2% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Zambezi's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zambezi's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 27°; 12th warmest
Overnight low: 19°; 10th coldest
Rainfall: 242 mm; 27.4 wet days
Daylight: 12 h 42 min; 6:15 AM – 6:58 PM
Cloud cover: 86%; 12th clearest
Wind: 8 km/h; 8th windiest
Solar energy: 5.17 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.

← December Zambezi year-round climate February →Best places to visit in January

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical January 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 24°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27
Avg low (°C)	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	19

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	27	19
2	27	19
3	27	19
4	27	19
5	27	19
6	27	19
7	27	19
8	27	19
9	27	19
10	27	19
11	27	19
12	27	19
13	27	19
14	27	19
15	27	19
16	27	19
17	27	19
18	27	19
19	27	19
20	27	19
21	27	19
22	27	19
23	27	19
24	27	19
25	27	19
26	27	19
27	27	19
28	27	19
29	27	19
30	27	19
31	27	19

How January really feels in Zambezi

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

wind chill below the day's low

January 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 January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	27° / 19°	242	27.4	12.7	3.7
Feb	27° / 19°	228	24.2	12.5	3.9
Mar	27° / 19°	190	23.2	12.1	4.4
Apr	28° / 18°	39	6.2	11.7	6.6
May	28° / 16°	1	0.1	11.4	7.7
Jun	27° / 13°	0	0	11.2	9.0
Jul	27° / 12°	0	0	11.3	8.9
Aug	30° / 15°	0	0	11.6	6.6
Sep	33° / 19°	4	1.2	11.9	4.4
Oct	33° / 20°	38	8.5	12.3	3.6
Nov	29° / 19°	157	22	12.6	3.7
Dec	27° / 19°	241	27.5	12.8	3.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 91%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	9	9	9	9	8	8	8	8	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	10	10
Cloudier (%)	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	91	91	91	91	92	92	92	92	91	91	91	91	91	91	91	91	91	91	90	90

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	8	92
2	8	92
3	8	92
4	8	92
5	8	92
6	8	92
7	8	92
8	8	92
9	8	92
10	8	92
11	8	92
12	9	91
13	9	91
14	9	91
15	9	91
16	8	92
17	8	92
18	8	92
19	8	92
20	9	91
21	9	91
22	9	91
23	9	91
24	9	91
25	9	91
26	9	91
27	9	91
28	9	91
29	9	91
30	10	90
31	10	90

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Zambezi gets around 242 mm of rain over 27.4 wet days in January, the wettest month. 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 90% on the wettest days.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	88	88	88	88	88	88	88	88	88	89	89	89	89	90	90	90	90	90	90	90	90	90	90	90	89	89	89	89	89	89	88

	Rain chance (%)
1	88
2	88
3	88
4	88
5	88
6	88
7	88
8	88
9	88
10	89
11	89
12	89
13	89
14	90
15	90
16	90
17	90
18	90
19	90
20	90
21	90
22	90
23	90
24	90
25	89
26	89
27	89
28	89
29	89
30	89
31	88

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 95% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 95% of them.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Humid (%)	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	5	5	5	5	5
Muggy (%)	96	96	96	96	96	96	96	95	95	95	95	95	95	95	95	95	94	94	94	94	94	94	94	94	94	94	95	95	95	95	95

	Humid (%)	Muggy (%)
1	4	96
2	4	96
3	4	96
4	4	96
5	4	96
6	4	96
7	4	96
8	5	95
9	5	95
10	5	95
11	5	95
12	5	95
13	5	95
14	5	95
15	5	95
16	5	95
17	6	94
18	6	94
19	6	94
20	6	94
21	6	94
22	6	94
23	6	94
24	6	94
25	6	94
26	6	94
27	5	95
28	5	95
29	5	95
30	5	95
31	5	95

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	7	7	7	7	7	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	7	calm
2	7	calm
3	7	calm
4	7	calm
5	7	calm
6	8	calm
7	8	calm
8	8	calm
9	8	calm
10	8	calm
11	8	calm
12	8	calm
13	8	calm
14	8	calm
15	8	calm
16	8	calm
17	8	calm
18	8	calm
19	8	calm
20	8	calm
21	8	calm
22	7	calm
23	7	calm
24	7	calm
25	7	calm
26	7	calm
27	7	calm
28	7	calm
29	7	calm
30	7	calm
31	7	calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:07 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 6:54 PM to 6:59 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	12.8	12.8	12.8	12.8	12.8	12.8	12.8	12.8	12.8	12.8	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.6	12.6	12.6	12.6	12.6	12.6
Sunrise (AM)	6:07	6:08	6:08	6:09	6:09	6:10	6:10	6:11	6:11	6:12	6:13	6:13	6:14	6:14	6:15	6:15	6:16	6:16	6:17	6:17	6:18	6:18	6:19	6:19	6:20	6:20	6:21	6:21	6:22	6:22	6:23
Sunset (PM)	6:54	6:55	6:55	6:55	6:56	6:56	6:56	6:57	6:57	6:57	6:57	6:58	6:58	6:58	6:58	6:58	6:59	6:59	6:59	6:59	6:59	6:59	6:59	6:59	6:59	6:59	6:59	6:59	6:59	6:59	6:59

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	12.8	6:07	6:54
2	12.8	6:08	6:55
3	12.8	6:08	6:55
4	12.8	6:09	6:55
5	12.8	6:09	6:56
6	12.8	6:10	6:56
7	12.8	6:10	6:56
8	12.8	6:11	6:57
9	12.8	6:11	6:57
10	12.8	6:12	6:57
11	12.7	6:13	6:57
12	12.7	6:13	6:58
13	12.7	6:14	6:58
14	12.7	6:14	6:58
15	12.7	6:15	6:58
16	12.7	6:15	6:58
17	12.7	6:16	6:59
18	12.7	6:16	6:59
19	12.7	6:17	6:59
20	12.7	6:17	6:59
21	12.7	6:18	6:59
22	12.7	6:18	6:59
23	12.7	6:19	6:59
24	12.7	6:19	6:59
25	12.7	6:20	6:59
26	12.6	6:20	6:59
27	12.6	6:21	6:59
28	12.6	6:21	6:59
29	12.6	6:22	6:59
30	12.6	6:22	6:59
31	12.6	6:23	6:59

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.17 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 — January's 5.17 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1
Level	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	5.2	Bright
2	5.2	Bright
3	5.2	Bright
4	5.2	Bright
5	5.2	Bright
6	5.2	Bright
7	5.2	Bright
8	5.2	Bright
9	5.2	Bright
10	5.2	Bright
11	5.2	Bright
12	5.2	Bright
13	5.1	Bright
14	5.1	Bright
15	5.1	Bright
16	5.1	Bright
17	5.1	Bright
18	5.1	Bright
19	5.1	Bright
20	5.1	Bright
21	5.1	Bright
22	5.1	Bright
23	5.1	Bright
24	5.1	Bright
25	5.1	Bright
26	5.1	Bright
27	5.1	Bright
28	5.1	Bright
29	5.1	Bright
30	5.1	Bright
31	5.1	Bright

Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Zambezi

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Zambezi?

Our two travel scores rate January 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

12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Zambezi.

What to pack for Zambezi in January

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

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

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Zambezi in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (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.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	16	15	14	13	10	9	9	9	11	10	13	13
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Very high	Very high	Very high	Very high	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	16	Extreme
Feb	15	Extreme
Mar	14	Extreme
Apr	13	Extreme
May	10	Very high
Jun	9	Very high
Jul	9	Very high
Aug	9	Very high
Sep	11	Extreme
Oct	10	Extreme
Nov	13	Extreme
Dec	13	Extreme

Air quality in Zambezi in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
PM2.5 (µg/m³)	9	9	8	6	9	21	35	62	89	41	10	7
Level	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Moderate	Poor	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Poor	Good	Good

	PM2.5 (µg/m³)	Level
Jan	9	Good
Feb	9	Good
Mar	8	Good
Apr	6	Good
May	9	Good
Jun	21	Moderate
Jul	35	Poor
Aug	62	Unhealthy
Sep	89	Unhealthy
Oct	41	Poor
Nov	10	Good
Dec	7	Good

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.

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

grassland 39%

16 km

78 m

trees 58%

80 km

390 m

trees 52%

treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland

← December Zambezi year-round climate February →Best places to visit in January

January 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

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).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	27	19
2	27	19
3	27	19
4	27	19
5	27	19
6	27	19
7	27	19
8	27	19
9	27	19
10	27	19
11	27	19
12	27	19
13	27	19
14	27	19
15	27	19
16	27	19
17	27	19
18	27	19
19	27	19
20	27	19
21	27	19
22	27	19
23	27	19
24	27	19
25	27	19
26	27	19
27	27	19
28	27	19
29	27	19
30	27	19
31	27	19

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	8	92
2	8	92
3	8	92
4	8	92
5	8	92
6	8	92
7	8	92
8	8	92
9	8	92
10	8	92
11	8	92
12	9	91
13	9	91
14	9	91
15	9	91
16	8	92
17	8	92
18	8	92
19	8	92
20	9	91
21	9	91
22	9	91
23	9	91
24	9	91
25	9	91
26	9	91
27	9	91
28	9	91
29	9	91
30	10	90
31	10	90

	Rain chance (%)
1	88
2	88
3	88
4	88
5	88
6	88
7	88
8	88
9	88
10	89
11	89
12	89
13	89
14	90
15	90
16	90
17	90
18	90
19	90
20	90
21	90
22	90
23	90
24	90
25	89
26	89
27	89
28	89
29	89
30	89
31	88

	Humid (%)	Muggy (%)
1	4	96
2	4	96
3	4	96
4	4	96
5	4	96
6	4	96
7	4	96
8	5	95
9	5	95
10	5	95
11	5	95
12	5	95
13	5	95
14	5	95
15	5	95
16	5	95
17	6	94
18	6	94
19	6	94
20	6	94
21	6	94
22	6	94
23	6	94
24	6	94
25	6	94
26	6	94
27	5	95
28	5	95
29	5	95
30	5	95
31	5	95

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	27	19
2	27	19
3	27	19
4	27	19
5	27	19
6	27	19
7	27	19
8	27	19
9	27	19
10	27	19
11	27	19
12	27	19
13	27	19
14	27	19
15	27	19
16	27	19
17	27	19
18	27	19
19	27	19
20	27	19
21	27	19
22	27	19
23	27	19
24	27	19
25	27	19
26	27	19
27	27	19
28	27	19
29	27	19
30	27	19
31	27	19

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	8	92
2	8	92
3	8	92
4	8	92
5	8	92
6	8	92
7	8	92
8	8	92
9	8	92
10	8	92
11	8	92
12	9	91
13	9	91
14	9	91
15	9	91
16	8	92
17	8	92
18	8	92
19	8	92
20	9	91
21	9	91
22	9	91
23	9	91
24	9	91
25	9	91
26	9	91
27	9	91
28	9	91
29	9	91
30	10	90
31	10	90

	Rain chance (%)
1	88
2	88
3	88
4	88
5	88
6	88
7	88
8	88
9	88
10	89
11	89
12	89
13	89
14	90
15	90
16	90
17	90
18	90
19	90
20	90
21	90
22	90
23	90
24	90
25	89
26	89
27	89
28	89
29	89
30	89
31	88

	Humid (%)	Muggy (%)
1	4	96
2	4	96
3	4	96
4	4	96
5	4	96
6	4	96
7	4	96
8	5	95
9	5	95
10	5	95
11	5	95
12	5	95
13	5	95
14	5	95
15	5	95
16	5	95
17	6	94
18	6	94
19	6	94
20	6	94
21	6	94
22	6	94
23	6	94
24	6	94
25	6	94
26	6	94
27	5	95
28	5	95
29	5	95
30	5	95
31	5	95

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	27	19
2	27	19
3	27	19
4	27	19
5	27	19
6	27	19
7	27	19
8	27	19
9	27	19
10	27	19
11	27	19
12	27	19
13	27	19
14	27	19
15	27	19
16	27	19
17	27	19
18	27	19
19	27	19
20	27	19
21	27	19
22	27	19
23	27	19
24	27	19
25	27	19
26	27	19
27	27	19
28	27	19
29	27	19
30	27	19
31	27	19

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	8	92
2	8	92
3	8	92
4	8	92
5	8	92
6	8	92
7	8	92
8	8	92
9	8	92
10	8	92
11	8	92
12	9	91
13	9	91
14	9	91
15	9	91
16	8	92
17	8	92
18	8	92
19	8	92
20	9	91
21	9	91
22	9	91
23	9	91
24	9	91
25	9	91
26	9	91
27	9	91
28	9	91
29	9	91
30	10	90
31	10	90

	Rain chance (%)
1	88
2	88
3	88
4	88
5	88
6	88
7	88
8	88
9	88
10	89
11	89
12	89
13	89
14	90
15	90
16	90
17	90
18	90
19	90
20	90
21	90
22	90
23	90
24	90
25	89
26	89
27	89
28	89
29	89
30	89
31	88

	Humid (%)	Muggy (%)
1	4	96
2	4	96
3	4	96
4	4	96
5	4	96
6	4	96
7	4	96
8	5	95
9	5	95
10	5	95
11	5	95
12	5	95
13	5	95
14	5	95
15	5	95
16	5	95
17	6	94
18	6	94
19	6	94
20	6	94
21	6	94
22	6	94
23	6	94
24	6	94
25	6	94
26	6	94
27	5	95
28	5	95
29	5	95
30	5	95
31	5	95