Kitwe climate
Kitwe (Zambia) has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C70 °F, and about 1,032 mm41 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kitwe climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2678 | 1763 | 2271 | 26911 |
| Feb | 2678 | 1763 | 2271 | 1977.7 |
| Mar | 2679 | 1762 | 2170 | 1395.5 |
| Apr | 2679 | 1458 | 2069 | 351.4 |
| May | 2679 | 1253 | 1966 | 30.1 |
| Jun | 2578 | 949 | 1763 | 10.0 |
| Jul | 2678 | 948 | 1763 | 00.0 |
| Aug | 2985 | 1253 | 2069 | 10.0 |
| Sep | 3391 | 1560 | 2475 | 10.0 |
| Oct | 3594 | 1966 | 2780 | 150.6 |
| Nov | 3188 | 1966 | 2577 | 1174.6 |
| Dec | 2780 | 1864 | 2272 | 25710 |
| Year | 3594 | 948 | 2170 | 1,03241 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 83% | 90% | 5.2 | 12:48 |
| Feb | 83% | 88% | 5.3 | 12:32 |
| Mar | 83% | 78% | 5.5 | 12:12 |
| Apr | 76% | 50% | 5.7 | 11:50 |
| May | 65% | 29% | 5.6 | 11:32 |
| Jun | 59% | 22% | 5.4 | 11:23 |
| Jul | 53% | 22% | 5.5 | 11:26 |
| Aug | 42% | 22% | 5.9 | 11:41 |
| Sep | 34% | 26% | 6.5 | 12:03 |
| Oct | 37% | 49% | 6.6 | 12:25 |
| Nov | 59% | 74% | 6.1 | 12:43 |
| Dec | 80% | 88% | 5.4 | 12:52 |
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 Kitwe is like
The warmest month is October, with an average high of 35 °C94 °F and a low of 19 °C66 °F. The coldest is June, when highs average 25 °C78 °F and lows 9 °C49 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 9.4 °C17 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,032 mm41 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 70% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–October. The wettest month is January (269 mm11 in), the driest is July (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 34% in September to 83% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 22%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in February to 13 km/h (8 mph) in September. Daylight lasts from about 11.4 hours in June to 12.9 hours in December.
Best time to visit Kitwe
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–August: average highs of 25 °C78 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 0 mm0.0 in to 35 mm1.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is very wet (269 mm11 in) and humid (83% 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 Kitwe
- Wetter months (November–March) — highs 2678 to 31 °C88 °F, lows 1762 to 19 °C66 °F, about 196 mm7.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (April–October) — highs 2578 to 35 °C94 °F, lows 948 to 19 °C66 °F, about 8 mm0.3 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 Kitwe compares
Compared with Lubumbashi, about 150 km to the northwest, Kitwe is on average 0.6 °C1 °F warmer and receives 8% less precipitation (1,032 mm41 in vs 1,120 mm44 in). The difference is largest in November (1.2 °C2.1 °F warmer).
Of the 15 places in Zambia covered by World Climates, Kitwe is the 6th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 7th 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: Lubumbashi (DR Congo, Cwa), Kipushi (DR Congo, Cwa) and Likasi (DR Congo, Cwa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Kalulushi (pop. 104,046). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Kitwe, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Mufulira 28 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,133 mm45 in
- Luanshya 43 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,032 mm41 in
- Chingola 47 km · 20 °C68 °F · 1,133 mm45 in
- Ndola 49 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,036 mm41 in
- Lubumbashi 150 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,120 mm44 in
- Kipushi 156 km · 20 °C69 °F · 1,198 mm47 in
- Kabwe 185 km · 21 °C70 °F · 950 mm37 in
- Mansa 193 km · 22 °C71 °F · 1,032 mm41 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kitwe?
October is the warmest month in Kitwe, with an average high of 35 °C (94 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (66 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kitwe?
June is the coldest month, with an average high of 25 °C (78 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (49 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kitwe?
January is the wettest month with about 269 mm (10.6 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Kitwe?
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.