Weather in Lusaka

Lusaka is in Zambia at 15.4°S. The 2001–2020 NASA POWER daily record describes a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. Rain is the monsoon runs from December to March, inside an annual total of 780 mm. The wettest month is January at 208 mm; the driest is August at 0 mm.

October is the warmest month (average 27.1°C, high 34.7°C) and July is the coolest (average 18.2°C, low 10.4°C). From the coolest night in July (10.4°C) to the hottest afternoon in October (34.7°C), the raw range is 24.3°C. On this site the months that score closest to a 22°C day, lighter rain, and moderate humidity are May, June, and August.

Hot and cool months in Lusaka

Monthly average highs run from 25.9°C in July to 34.7°C in October. Nights follow the same curve: 10.4°C in July and 19.5°C in October.

Mean high across all twelve months is 29.1°C and mean low is 16.0°C. These are 20-year grid averages, so a city station can read a few degrees warmer or cooler.

Rainfall pattern

The monsoon in Lusaka starts in December and ends in March (December, January, February, and March). January is the core of it at 208 mm. August is the other extreme, with 0 mm.

A rainy day here is a day with at least 1 mm in the NASA POWER series. January averages 25 such days; August averages 0.

Distinctive months in Lusaka

January is the wettest month — 208 mm and 25 rainy days, with 81% humidity. February brings 149 mm and 21 rainy days; temperatures run from 18.1°C to 26.9°C. March closes the monsoon: 94 mm over 17 rainy days, then the calendar dries. April: 28.6°C high, 15.6°C low, 28 mm rain, 67% humidity. The year bottoms out in July. Plan for 10.4°C at night and 25.9°C in the afternoon.

August is the driest month, averaging only 0 mm across 0 rainy days. Highs sit near 29.2°C. In September, Lusaka averages 32.7°C by day and 16.3°C at night, with 1 mm of rain. October is the warmest month. Afternoon highs average 34.7°C and nights settle near 19.5°C, with 11 mm of rain. November: 32.8°C high, 19.9°C low, 81 mm rain, 52% humidity. December is when the monsoon typically starts in Lusaka: highs near 28.5°C, and rainfall jumps to 205 mm (23 rainy days).

Best months to visit Lusaka

The three months with the highest comfort score are May, June, and August: May (20.7°C average, 3 mm, 53% humidity); June (18.7°C average, 1 mm, 50% humidity); August (21.0°C average, 0 mm, 39% humidity). They fall in calendar order. The score rewards averages near 22°C, lower rainfall, and humidity near 60%. It is a climate score, not a festival or price calendar.

If you want the monsoon itself — fewer crowds, greener landscape, heavier rain — aim at December–March instead of the score.

How Lusaka compares inside Zambia

Lusaka is the only Zambia city in this dataset, so the figures on this page are the national sample we publish. They still come from the same NASA POWER daily series (2001–2020) used everywhere else on the site.