Luanshya climate

Zambia · 13.14°S, 28.42°E · elevation 1,238 m · population 193,293

Warmest month
October
high 34 °C94 °F
Coldest month
June
low 9 °C48 °F
Wettest month
January
269 mm11 in
Best time to visit
April–August
by our comfort score
Annual precipitation
1,032 mm41 in
July driest
Year average
21 °C70 °F
monsoon-influenced humid subtropical (Cwa)

Luanshya (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

Average highAverage low
5°10°15°20°25°30°35°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND34°94°9°48°January: high 26 °C / 78 °F, low 17 °C / 63 °FFebruary: high 26 °C / 78 °F, low 17 °C / 63 °FMarch: high 26 °C / 79 °F, low 17 °C / 62 °FApril: high 26 °C / 79 °F, low 14 °C / 58 °FMay: high 26 °C / 79 °F, low 11 °C / 53 °FJune: high 25 °C / 77 °F, low 9 °C / 48 °FJuly: high 26 °C / 78 °F, low 9 °C / 48 °FAugust: high 29 °C / 84 °F, low 11 °C / 53 °FSeptember: high 33 °C / 91 °F, low 15 °C / 59 °FOctober: high 34 °C / 94 °F, low 19 °C / 66 °FNovember: high 31 °C / 88 °F, low 19 °C / 66 °FDecember: high 27 °C / 80 °F, low 18 °C / 64 °F

Precipitation by month

Precipitation per month (mminches)
0100200300048JJanuary: 269 mm / 10.6 inFFebruary: 197 mm / 7.7 inMMarch: 139 mm / 5.5 inAApril: 35 mm / 1.4 inMMay: 3 mm / 0.1 inJJune: 1 mm / 0.0 inJJuly: 0 mm / 0.0 inAAugust: 1 mm / 0.0 inSSeptember: 1 mm / 0.0 inOOctober: 15 mm / 0.6 inNNovember: 117 mm / 4.6 inDDecember: 257 mm / 10.1 in26910.6

Luanshya climate table

Monthly averages, 2001–2025
MonthHigh °C°FLow °C°FMean °C°FPrecip. mmin
Jan26781763217126911
Feb2678176321711977.7
Mar2679176221701395.5
Apr267914582068351.4
May26791153196630.1
Jun2577948176310.0
Jul2678948176300.0
Aug29841153206910.0
Sep33911559247510.0
Oct349419662780150.6
Nov3188196625771174.6
Dec27801864227225710
Year349494821701,03241

“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.

Humidity, cloud, sun and daylight
MonthHumid.CloudSolarDaylight
Jan83%88%5.412:49
Feb83%85%5.412:32
Mar83%74%5.612:12
Apr76%47%5.711:49
May65%29%5.611:31
Jun59%24%5.311:21
Jul53%22%5.411:25
Aug42%20%6.011:41
Sep34%21%6.612:03
Oct37%41%6.712:25
Nov59%72%6.112:44
Dec80%87%5.512:54

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 Luanshya is like

The warmest month is October, with an average high of 34 °C94 °F and a low of 19 °C66 °F. The coldest is June, when highs average 25 °C77 °F and lows 9 °C48 °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, 20%) are typical of August. 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 Luanshya

Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–August. Average highs then reach 25 °C77 °F to 29 °C84 °F. Precipitation is 0 mm0.0 in to 35 mm1.4 in 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 ideal. That means 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 Luanshya

  • 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 2577 to 34 °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 Luanshya compares

The nearest larger place is Ndola, about 31 km to the northeast. Compared with it, Luanshya is on average 0.6 °C1.1 °F warmer. It receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in September (0.8 °C1.4 °F warmer).

World Climates covers 15 places in Zambia. By annual mean temperature, Luanshya is the 7th warmest of them. By annual precipitation, it is the 8th wettest. See all of them on the Zambia climate page.

Some places in other countries have a very similar pattern of temperature and rainfall. The closest matches are Lubumbashi (DR Congo, Cwa), Kipushi (DR Congo, Cwa) and Likasi (DR Congo, Cwa).

Nearby places

All places in Zambia

Frequently asked questions

What is the warmest month in Luanshya?

October is the warmest month in Luanshya. Its average high is 34 °C (94 °F) and its average low is 19 °C (66 °F).

What is the coldest month in Luanshya?

June is the coldest month. Its average high is 25 °C (77 °F) and its average low is 9 °C (48 °F).

When does it rain the most in Luanshya?

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 Luanshya?

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. The gaps are largest 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.

Sources and method