Masvingo in Summer

In summer (December, January and February), Masvingo sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 378 mm of rain over about 44 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels humid.

Summer is Masvingo's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Masvingo's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
28°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
18°C
Rainfall
378 mm
44 wet days
Avg wind
11 km/h
Travel score
5.6
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Masvingo in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C.

A typical summer day in Masvingo reaches about 28°C and drops to 18°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.

10°15°20°25°30°35°DecJanFeb

Masvingo weather by month

How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 18°12715.413.15.6
Feb27° / 18°10612.812.75.8
Mar27° / 17°8411.512.16.5
Apr26° / 14°27511.67.8
May24° / 11°92.211.18.9
Jun22° / 61.110.88.7
Jul22° / 71.710.98.5
Aug25° / 11°20.711.39.1
Sep28° / 14°51.211.97.8
Oct29° / 16°224.612.56.3
Nov29° / 18°9311.4135.3
Dec28° / 18°14516.113.25.3

Cloud cover in Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Masvingo gets around 378 mm of rain over 44 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Summer

Winds average 11 km/h across summer.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min in early December to 12 h 24 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 6.1 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in summer

Hazard calendar for Masvingo

In seasonPeak

In summer, Masvingo overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Masvingo's rainy season runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is summer a good time to visit Masvingo?

Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

5.6
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

summer is a reasonable time to visit Masvingo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Masvingo in Summer

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

In summer, Masvingo sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 44 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Masvingo in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Masvingo peaks around January 17 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 7 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highVery highExtremeJan 17UV 15Jun 18UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr10Very high
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct12Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Masvingo in Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Masvingo is worst in September — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.9× the cleanest month (December, 4 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1617 µg/m³Dec 244 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar6Good
Apr7Good
May9Good
Jun10Good
Jul11Good
Aug13Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov7Good
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Masvingo?

Masvingo sits at 20.1°S, 30.8°E, 1,091 m above sea level, in Zimbabwe. The nearest listed city is Zvishavane, 85 km away.

ZvishavaneShurugwiGweruChiredziRedcliffKwekweChipingeGwanda

Topography around Masvingo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Masvingo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 72 m around an average of 1,081 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 548 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,028 m.

The land around Masvingo is covered by grassland (41%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, shrubs (45%), trees (26%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and shrubs (39%), trees (24%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
72 m
16 km
548 m
80 km
1,028 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Summer weather nearby: Zvishavane 85 km · Shurugwi 96 km · Gweru 126 km · Chiredzi 140 km · Redcliff 158 km · Kwekwe 165 km · Chipinge 188 km · Gwanda 213 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 Masvingo (-20.0637°, 30.8277°, elevation 1,091 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.