Chingola climate
Chingola (Zambia) has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa). The average temperature over the year is 20 °C68 °F, and about 1,133 mm45 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Chingola climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2576 | 1762 | 2169 | 28411 |
| Feb | 2576 | 1662 | 2169 | 2098.2 |
| Mar | 2577 | 1661 | 2069 | 1686.6 |
| Apr | 2577 | 1457 | 1967 | 421.7 |
| May | 2576 | 1151 | 1864 | 30.1 |
| Jun | 2475 | 847 | 1661 | 10.0 |
| Jul | 2576 | 846 | 1661 | 00.0 |
| Aug | 2883 | 1051 | 1967 | 20.1 |
| Sep | 3289 | 1457 | 2373 | 10.1 |
| Oct | 3392 | 1864 | 2678 | 200.8 |
| Nov | 3086 | 1864 | 2475 | 1305.1 |
| Dec | 2578 | 1762 | 2170 | 27111 |
| Year | 3392 | 846 | 2068 | 1,13345 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84% | 91% | 5.2 | 12:47 |
| Feb | 84% | 88% | 5.3 | 12:31 |
| Mar | 84% | 80% | 5.5 | 12:12 |
| Apr | 79% | 52% | 5.6 | 11:50 |
| May | 70% | 29% | 5.6 | 11:33 |
| Jun | 63% | 20% | 5.4 | 11:24 |
| Jul | 56% | 18% | 5.5 | 11:27 |
| Aug | 45% | 20% | 6.0 | 11:42 |
| Sep | 36% | 31% | 6.4 | 12:03 |
| Oct | 39% | 56% | 6.5 | 12:24 |
| Nov | 62% | 79% | 5.9 | 12:43 |
| Dec | 81% | 89% | 5.3 | 12:51 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Chingola is like
The warmest month is October, with an average high of 33 °C92 °F and a low of 18 °C64 °F. The coldest is June, when highs average 24 °C75 °F and lows 8 °C47 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 9.5 °C17 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,133 mm45 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 67% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is January (284 mm11 in), the driest is July (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 36% in September to 84% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 18%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in February to 12 km/h (7 mph) in September. Daylight lasts from about 11.4 hours in June to 12.9 hours in December.
Best time to visit Chingola
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–August: average highs of 24 °C75 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 0 mm0.0 in to 42 mm1.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is December, which is very wet (271 mm11 in) and humid (81% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Chingola
- Wetter months (November–March) — highs 2576 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1661 to 18 °C64 °F, about 212 mm8.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (April–October) — highs 2475 to 33 °C92 °F, lows 846 to 18 °C64 °F, about 10 mm0.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Chingola compares
Compared with Kitwe, about 47 km to the southeast, Chingola is on average 1.1 °C2 °F cooler and receives 10% more precipitation (1,133 mm45 in vs 1,032 mm41 in). The difference is largest in May (1.2 °C2.2 °F cooler).
Of the 15 places in Zambia covered by World Climates, Chingola is the 14th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 2nd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Zambia climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Kipushi (DR Congo, Cwa), Lubumbashi (DR Congo, Cwa) and Likasi (DR Congo, Cwa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Chililabombwe (pop. 113,876). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Chingola, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Mufulira 39 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,133 mm45 in
- Kitwe 47 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,032 mm41 in
- Luanshya 89 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,032 mm41 in
- Ndola 95 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,036 mm41 in
- Lubumbashi 106 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,120 mm44 in
- Kipushi 110 km · 20 °C69 °F · 1,198 mm47 in
- Solwezi 167 km · 20 °C69 °F · 1,201 mm47 in
- Mansa 184 km · 22 °C71 °F · 1,032 mm41 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Chingola?
October is the warmest month in Chingola, with an average high of 33 °C (92 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (64 °F).
What is the coldest month in Chingola?
June is the coldest month, with an average high of 24 °C (75 °F) and an average low of 8 °C (47 °F).
When does it rain the most in Chingola?
January is the wettest month with about 284 mm (11.2 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Chingola?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–August.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 1,273 m, while Chingola lies at about 1,363 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −0.6 °C1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.