Kariba weather in September

In September, Kariba sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 2 mm of rain across 0.3 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 30°C in the first days to 33°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 86% of the time in September, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of September to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Kariba's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kariba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
21°
5th coldest
Rainfall
2 mm
0.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:02 AM – 5:56 PM
Cloud cover
15%
2nd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
6.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Kariba is town in Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe, located close to the Kariba Dam.

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

Temperature in September

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 30°C in the first days to 33°C by the end.

A typical September day in Kariba reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 4°C warmer than August and about 2°C cooler than October.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13019
23019
33019
43119
53119
63119
73120
83120
93120
103120
113120
123220
133220
143220
153221
163221
173221
183221
193221
203321
213322
223322
233322
243322
253322
263322
273322
283322
293323
303323

How September really feels in Kariba

Once humidity and wind are folded in, September averages 15 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
15
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in September is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Kariba weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 3rd-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 24°27322.112.93.6
Feb30° / 23°20919.212.63.9
Mar30° / 23°13515.812.14.5
Apr29° / 21°375.711.66.2
May28° / 18°30.611.28.0
Jun26° / 16°10.2119.0
Jul26° / 15°10.211.19.1
Aug28° / 17°00.111.48.1
Sep32° / 21°20.311.95.5
Oct34° / 24°121.812.43.7
Nov33° / 25°781012.83.3
Dec31° / 24°21820.3133.5

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 86% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 7%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1955
2955
3955
4955
5955
6955
7946
8946
9946
10946
11946
12946
13937
14937
15937
16937
17937
18937
19928
20928
21928
22928
23928
24919
259010
269010
279010
289010
299010
308911

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Kariba gets around 2 mm of rain over 0.3 wet days in September. 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 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
262
272
282
292
302

Humidity in September

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, September lands in the dry band about 68% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1782110
2782110
3782110
4782110
5782110
6772210
7772210
8762310
9762310
10762310
11752410
12742510
13742510
14712621
15712621
16702721
17682831
18682831
19672931
20653041
21633151
22623251
23603361
24583561
25563671
26543781
27533881
28513991
295039101
304940101

Wind in September

Winds average 11 km/h in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3012calm

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of September to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 6:14 AM to 5:50 AM, and sunset from 5:55 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:145:55
211.76:145:55
311.76:135:55
411.76:125:55
511.76:115:55
611.86:105:55
711.86:095:55
811.86:095:56
911.86:085:56
1011.86:075:56
1111.86:065:56
1211.86:055:56
1311.96:045:56
1411.96:045:56
1511.96:035:56
1611.96:025:56
1711.96:015:56
1811.96:005:57
1912.05:595:57
2012.05:585:57
2112.05:585:57
2212.05:575:57
2312.05:565:57
2412.05:555:57
2512.15:545:57
2612.15:535:58
2712.15:535:58
2812.15:525:58
2912.15:515:58
3012.15:505:58

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 6.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.56 kWh/m² to a high of 7.13 kWh/m² in October across the year — September's 6.66 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.4Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.6Intense
126.6Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.7Intense
186.7Intense
196.8Intense
206.8Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.9Intense
266.9Intense
276.9Intense
286.9Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
Planning a trip in September

Hazard calendar for Kariba

In seasonPeak

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

Kariba'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 September a good time to visit Kariba?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
8.6
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

September is a reasonable time to visit Kariba for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Kariba in September

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

In September, Kariba sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Kariba in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September 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 Kariba peaks around January 19 at about 15 (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 19UV 15Jul 10UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Kariba in September

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Kariba is worst in September — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.7× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1531 µg/m³Dec 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May9Good
Jun12Good
Jul16Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kariba?

Kariba sits at 16.5°S, 28.8°E, 679 m above sea level, in Zimbabwe. The nearest listed city is Siavonga, 10 km away.

ChirunduKaroiKafueChilanga TownshipPalabanaChisankaneNtandabale

Topography around Kariba

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kariba has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 492 m around an average of 558 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 616 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,165 m.

The land around Kariba is covered by shrubs (52%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, water (41%) and shrubs (39%) within 16 km, and shrubs (53%) within 80 km.

3 km
492 m
16 km
616 m
80 km
1,165 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
September weather nearby: Siavonga 10 km · Chirundu 54 km · Karoi 101 km · Kafue 106 km · Chilanga Township 119 km · Palabana 122 km · Chisankane 125 km · Ntandabale 132 km

Zimbabwe travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 56% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,021
2025
Happiness
3.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
25%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
41.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 602
Religion
Apostolic Sect 40%Pentecostal 17%Protestant 14%none 8%

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 Kariba (-16.5167°, 28.8°, elevation 679 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).