Zambia
Weather locations in Zambia
Choose a location in Zambia to view its available forecast products.
Zambia illustrated weather map
23 mapped locations
Only locations with a verified coordinate are marked. The complete location list is below.
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Climate of Zambia
Country climate guideZambia is landlocked in the centre of southern Africa, and much of it is a plateau standing between about 1,000 and 1,400 metres above sea level, with the wide valley of the Zambezi cutting through the south. Its relative height and its distance from the coast give it a mild tropical climate with surprisingly cool nights, and the seasons follow the movement of rain rather than temperature. Two opposing influences, summer storms from the north and dry winter air from the south, decide the weather.
Main climate types
The country belongs to the humid subtropical group, drifting towards semi-arid steppe in the dry south-west and the Kalahari fringe. The northern districts towards Lake Tanganyika and the Muchinga highlands are wetter and support rainforest, while the eastern escarpment around Chipata and the Nyimba ranges catch more rain than the plateau middle, and the high ground of the Nyanga range in the far north-east is the coolest part of the country.
Temperatures
Lusaka averages about 24 °C in January and about 16 °C to 17 °C in July, the coldest month, and even midwinter days there are usually warm and sunny. On the plateau, clear nights in the dry season cool to around 8 °C to 12 °C, and frost touches the higher ground in the coldest weeks. Daytime highs in the late dry season and early rainy season commonly pass 35 °C, though the altitude keeps the heat manageable.
Rainfall
Annual totals range from roughly 800 mm to 900 mm around Lusaka, up to about 1,200 mm to 1,400 mm in the northern and eastern highlands and the Muchinga, and down to under 500 mm on the driest south-west. Almost all of it falls between November and March, usually as afternoon thunderstorms, and the rest of the year is dry and clear. Snow is not expected at any inhabited place, and Victoria Falls still sees spray from the river in the wet season.
When to go
The dry months from May to August draw visitors to the falls and the South Luangwa, when animals gather at the rivers and the roads are passable, and game viewing is at its best. The rainy season in February and March brings green country but often impassable roads.