Lusaka climate
Lusaka (Zambia) has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C70 °F, and about 780 mm31 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Lusaka climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2678 | 1763 | 2170 | 2078.2 |
| Feb | 2578 | 1762 | 2170 | 1495.9 |
| Mar | 2679 | 1661 | 2170 | 943.7 |
| Apr | 2780 | 1457 | 2069 | 281.1 |
| May | 2679 | 1153 | 1966 | 30.1 |
| Jun | 2476 | 949 | 1762 | 10.0 |
| Jul | 2475 | 947 | 1661 | 10.0 |
| Aug | 2781 | 1152 | 1967 | 00.0 |
| Sep | 3188 | 1558 | 2373 | 10.0 |
| Oct | 3392 | 1864 | 2678 | 110.4 |
| Nov | 3188 | 1865 | 2577 | 813.2 |
| Dec | 2781 | 1763 | 2272 | 2058.1 |
| Year | 3392 | 947 | 2170 | 78031 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 81% | 81% | 5.6 | 12:57 |
| Feb | 82% | 76% | 5.6 | 12:37 |
| Mar | 78% | 64% | 5.6 | 12:13 |
| Apr | 67% | 44% | 5.5 | 11:46 |
| May | 53% | 29% | 5.4 | 11:24 |
| Jun | 49% | 30% | 4.9 | 11:13 |
| Jul | 47% | 28% | 5.0 | 11:18 |
| Aug | 39% | 20% | 5.9 | 11:36 |
| Sep | 33% | 19% | 6.5 | 12:02 |
| Oct | 36% | 32% | 6.8 | 12:28 |
| Nov | 52% | 63% | 6.3 | 12:51 |
| Dec | 75% | 81% | 5.7 | 13:02 |
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 Lusaka 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 July, when highs average 24 °C75 °F and lows 9 °C47 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 9.2 °C16.7 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 780 mm31 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 (207 mm8.2 in), the driest is August (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 33% in September to 82% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 19%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in February to 15 km/h (9 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 11.2 hours in June to 13.0 hours in December.
Best time to visit Lusaka
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–August: average highs of 24 °C75 °F to 27 °C81 °F with 0 mm0.0 in to 28 mm1.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is very wet (207 mm8.2 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.
Lusaka weather by month
- January26 °C78 °F / 17 °C63 °F
- February25 °C78 °F / 17 °C62 °F
- March26 °C79 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- April27 °C80 °F / 14 °C57 °F
- May26 °C79 °F / 11 °C53 °F
- June24 °C76 °F / 9 °C49 °F
- July24 °C75 °F / 9 °C47 °F
- August27 °C81 °F / 11 °C52 °F
- September31 °C88 °F / 15 °C58 °F
- October33 °C92 °F / 18 °C64 °F
- November31 °C88 °F / 18 °C65 °F
- December27 °C81 °F / 17 °C63 °F
What to pack for Lusaka
- Wetter months (November–March) — highs 2578 to 31 °C88 °F, lows 1661 to 18 °C65 °F, about 147 mm5.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (April–October) — highs 2475 to 33 °C92 °F, lows 947 to 18 °C64 °F, about 6 mm0.2 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 Lusaka compares
Of the 15 places in Zambia covered by World Climates, Lusaka is the 9th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 12th 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), Kadoma (Zimbabwe, Cwa) and Kipushi (DR Congo, Cwa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Chunga (pop. 115,539). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Lusaka, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Kafue 42 km · 23 °C73 °F · 717 mm28 in
- Mazabuka 76 km · 22 °C72 °F · 768 mm30 in
- Kabwe 108 km · 21 °C70 °F · 950 mm37 in
- Luanshya 253 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,032 mm41 in
- Ndola 275 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,036 mm41 in
- Kitwe 290 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,032 mm41 in
- Mufulira 318 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,133 mm45 in
- Chingola 323 km · 20 °C68 °F · 1,133 mm45 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Lusaka?
October is the warmest month in Lusaka, with an average high of 33 °C (92 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (64 °F).
What is the coldest month in Lusaka?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 24 °C (75 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (47 °F).
When does it rain the most in Lusaka?
January is the wettest month with about 207 mm (8.2 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Lusaka?
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 1,112 m, while Lusaka lies at about 1,277 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.