Chipata climate
Chipata (Zambia) has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C70 °F, and about 939 mm37 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Chipata climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2678 | 1864 | 2271 | 26410 |
| Feb | 2578 | 1763 | 2170 | 1987.8 |
| Mar | 2678 | 1762 | 2170 | 1465.7 |
| Apr | 2679 | 1558 | 2068 | 331.3 |
| May | 2678 | 1254 | 1966 | 40.2 |
| Jun | 2476 | 1050 | 1763 | 10.1 |
| Jul | 2576 | 1049 | 1763 | 10.1 |
| Aug | 2882 | 1254 | 2068 | 10.1 |
| Sep | 3188 | 1559 | 2374 | 20.1 |
| Oct | 3392 | 1865 | 2679 | 90.3 |
| Nov | 3391 | 1967 | 2679 | 612.4 |
| Dec | 2882 | 1865 | 2373 | 2188.6 |
| Year | 3392 | 1049 | 2170 | 93937 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82% | 87% | 5.5 | 12:51 |
| Feb | 83% | 82% | 5.7 | 12:33 |
| Mar | 82% | 72% | 5.7 | 12:12 |
| Apr | 75% | 47% | 5.7 | 11:49 |
| May | 66% | 32% | 5.4 | 11:29 |
| Jun | 62% | 29% | 5.0 | 11:20 |
| Jul | 57% | 29% | 5.1 | 11:24 |
| Aug | 48% | 23% | 5.7 | 11:40 |
| Sep | 41% | 19% | 6.4 | 12:03 |
| Oct | 40% | 33% | 6.7 | 12:26 |
| Nov | 50% | 58% | 6.4 | 12:46 |
| Dec | 74% | 83% | 5.8 | 12:56 |
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 Chipata is like
The warmest month is November, with an average high of 33 °C91 °F and a low of 19 °C67 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 25 °C76 °F and lows 10 °C49 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 8.7 °C15.7 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 939 mm37 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 72% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–October. The wettest month is January (264 mm10 in), the driest is August (1 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 40% in October to 83% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 19%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in February to 15 km/h (9 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 11.3 hours in June to 12.9 hours in December.
Best time to visit Chipata
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–August: average highs of 24 °C76 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 1 mm0.1 in to 33 mm1.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is very wet (264 mm10 in) and humid (82% 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 Chipata
- Wetter months (December–March) — highs 2578 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 1762 to 18 °C65 °F, about 206 mm8.1 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–November) — highs 2476 to 33 °C92 °F, lows 1049 to 19 °C67 °F, about 14 mm0.6 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 Chipata compares
Compared with Lilongwe, about 128 km to the east, Chipata has practically the same average temperature and receives 10% less precipitation (939 mm37 in vs 1,047 mm41 in). The difference is largest in September (1 °C1.9 °F warmer).
Of the 15 places in Zambia covered by World Climates, Chipata is the 8th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 10th 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: Lilongwe (Malawi, Csa), Lubumbashi (DR Congo, Cwa) and Kadoma (Zimbabwe, Cwa).
Nearby places
- Lilongwe 128 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,047 mm41 in
- Lichinga 282 km · 20 °C68 °F · 1,025 mm40 in
- Mzuzu 283 km · 19 °C67 °F · 1,250 mm49 in
- Tete 298 km · 27 °C80 °F · 850 mm33 in
- Mandimba 333 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,093 mm43 in
- Zomba 347 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,244 mm49 in
- Blantyre 349 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,176 mm46 in
- Kasama 413 km · 20 °C68 °F · 1,104 mm43 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Chipata?
November is the warmest month in Chipata, with an average high of 33 °C (91 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (67 °F).
What is the coldest month in Chipata?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 25 °C (76 °F) and an average low of 10 °C (49 °F).
When does it rain the most in Chipata?
January is the wettest month with about 264 mm (10.4 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 1 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Chipata?
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 984 m, while Chipata lies at about 1,147 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −1.1 °C1.9 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.