Zambezi weather in May

In May, Zambezi sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 77% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Zambezi's 4th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zambezi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
5th warmest
Overnight low
16°
4th coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:43 AM – 6:05 PM
Cloud cover
24%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.7
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical May day in Zambezi reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12917
22917
32917
42916
52916
62916
72916
82916
92916
102916
112916
122916
132916
142916
152916
162916
172915
182815
192815
202815
212815
222815
232815
242815
252815
262815
272815
282815
292814
302814
312814

How May really feels in Zambezi

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May 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

May 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 May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 77% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 9%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18614
28614
38713
48812
58911
68911
78911
89010
99010
109010
11919
12919
13919
14919
15919
16919
17919
18919
19919
20919
21937
22937
23937
24937
25937
26946
27946
28946
29946
30964
31964

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Zambezi gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.1 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 1% and peaks near 3% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
13
22
32
42
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15629123
25828113
3622792
4652681
5672571
6702361
7722260
8752050
9771940
10791740
11821530
12831430
13861220
14871120
15891010
1691810
1792710
1893700
1994600
2095500
2195500
2295500
2396400
2496400
2596400
2696400
2796400
2897300
2997300
3097300
3197300

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:39 AM to 6:47 AM, and sunset from 6:10 PM to 6:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:396:10
211.56:396:10
311.56:396:10
411.56:406:09
511.56:406:09
611.56:406:08
711.56:406:08
811.56:416:08
911.46:416:07
1011.46:416:07
1111.46:416:07
1211.46:426:06
1311.46:426:06
1411.46:426:06
1511.46:426:05
1611.46:436:05
1711.46:436:05
1811.46:436:05
1911.46:436:04
2011.36:446:04
2111.36:446:04
2211.36:446:04
2311.36:456:04
2411.36:456:04
2511.36:456:03
2611.36:456:03
2711.36:466:03
2811.36:466:03
2911.36:466:03
3011.36:476:03
3111.36:476:03

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.65 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 — May's 5.65 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Zambezi

In seasonPeak

None of Zambezi's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

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 May a good time to visit Zambezi?

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

7.7
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
9.1
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Zambezi for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Zambezi in May

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

In May, Zambezi sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Zambezi in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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