Lubumbashi climate
Lubumbashi (DR Congo) has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C69 °F, and about 1,120 mm44 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Lubumbashi climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2577 | 1762 | 2170 | 2529.9 |
| Feb | 2678 | 1762 | 2170 | 2007.9 |
| Mar | 2678 | 1762 | 2170 | 1766.9 |
| Apr | 2678 | 1558 | 2068 | 562.2 |
| May | 2578 | 1253 | 1865 | 40.2 |
| Jun | 2576 | 948 | 1762 | 10.0 |
| Jul | 2578 | 847 | 1762 | 00.0 |
| Aug | 2984 | 1151 | 2067 | 10.0 |
| Sep | 3290 | 1558 | 2374 | 30.1 |
| Oct | 3392 | 1865 | 2678 | 281.1 |
| Nov | 3085 | 1864 | 2475 | 1315.1 |
| Dec | 2679 | 1763 | 2271 | 26811 |
| Year | 3392 | 847 | 2169 | 1,12044 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84% | 91% | 5.1 | 12:44 |
| Feb | 84% | 89% | 5.3 | 12:29 |
| Mar | 84% | 82% | 5.5 | 12:11 |
| Apr | 81% | 56% | 5.6 | 11:51 |
| May | 73% | 30% | 5.7 | 11:35 |
| Jun | 65% | 19% | 5.6 | 11:27 |
| Jul | 58% | 17% | 5.7 | 11:30 |
| Aug | 47% | 19% | 6.1 | 11:44 |
| Sep | 38% | 31% | 6.5 | 12:03 |
| Oct | 44% | 56% | 6.4 | 12:23 |
| Nov | 66% | 78% | 5.8 | 12:40 |
| Dec | 82% | 90% | 5.2 | 12:48 |
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 Lubumbashi is like
The warmest month is October, with an average high of 33 °C92 °F and a low of 18 °C65 °F. The coldest is June, when highs average 25 °C76 °F and lows 9 °C48 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 9 °C16.3 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,120 mm44 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 64% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is December (268 mm11 in), the driest is July (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 38% in September to 84% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 17%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (2 mph) in February to 8 km/h (5 mph) in September. Daylight lasts from about 11.4 hours in June to 12.8 hours in December.
Best time to visit Lubumbashi
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–August: average highs of 25 °C76 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 0 mm0.0 in to 56 mm2.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is December, which is very wet (268 mm11 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.
Lubumbashi weather by month
- January25 °C77 °F / 17 °C62 °F
- February26 °C78 °F / 17 °C62 °F
- March26 °C78 °F / 17 °C62 °F
- April26 °C78 °F / 15 °C58 °F
- May25 °C78 °F / 12 °C53 °F
- June25 °C76 °F / 9 °C48 °F
- July25 °C78 °F / 8 °C47 °F
- August29 °C84 °F / 11 °C51 °F
- September32 °C90 °F / 15 °C58 °F
- October33 °C92 °F / 18 °C65 °F
- November30 °C85 °F / 18 °C64 °F
- December26 °C79 °F / 17 °C63 °F
What to pack for Lubumbashi
- Wetter months (November–March) — highs 2577 to 30 °C85 °F, lows 1762 to 18 °C64 °F, about 205 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–October) — highs 2576 to 33 °C92 °F, lows 847 to 18 °C65 °F, about 13 mm0.5 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 Lubumbashi compares
Of the 36 places in the DR Congo covered by World Climates, Lubumbashi is the 32nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 29th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the DR Congo climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Mufulira (Zambia, Cwa), Chingola (Zambia, Cwa) and Solwezi (Zambia, Cwa).
Nearby places
- Kipushi 27 km · 20 °C69 °F · 1,198 mm47 in
- Chingola 106 km · 20 °C68 °F · 1,133 mm45 in
- Likasi 110 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,052 mm41 in
- Mufulira 129 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,133 mm45 in
- Solwezi 131 km · 20 °C69 °F · 1,201 mm47 in
- Kitwe 150 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,032 mm41 in
- Mansa 163 km · 22 °C71 °F · 1,032 mm41 in
- Ndola 191 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,036 mm41 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Lubumbashi?
October is the warmest month in Lubumbashi, with an average high of 33 °C (92 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (65 °F).
What is the coldest month in Lubumbashi?
June is the coldest month, with an average high of 25 °C (76 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (48 °F).
When does it rain the most in Lubumbashi?
December is the wettest month with about 268 mm (10.5 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Lubumbashi?
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.