Where to Go for Great Weather
Zambia · Month guide

Zambia in December

Around 28 °C with 225 mm of rain and 6.3 hours of sun a day.

December is a challenging month for Zambia overall; regional choices matter most. Around 28 °C with 225 mm of rain and 6.3 hours of sun a day. Use the regional grid below to find where this month works best — national averages hide the swings between coast, highlands, and inland.

Plan a trip in December← Zambia year-round
Match verdictMatch: Acceptable. Zambia · December.
Acceptable
Zambia · December
What the weather usually does

Zambia · typical month

  • Day / night
    20 – 28 °C
    Year range 12 – 33 °C
  • Rainfall
    225 mm
    Year range 0 – 283 mm
  • Sunshine
    6.3 hr / day
    Year range 4.9 – 9.9 hr / day
Compare with another destination
What’s open · December

Things to do in Zambia in December

Nothing is closed in December, but 2 things below are weather-dependent.

  • Limited
    Victoria Falls

    the lowest flow of the year; on parts of the Zambian side no water falls at all

    Sources: wildhorizons.co.za, travelbutlers.com

  • Limited
    Walking safaris in South Luangwa

    the green season — many camps close and some roads become hard to drive, though it is the best stretch of the year for birds as the migrants arrive

    Sources: go2africa.com, greensafaris.com

  • Open
    Devil's Pool, Livingstone Island

    the pool typically opens from mid-September and stays accessible into December

    Sources: mtembezisafaris.com, wildhorizons.co.za

Opening seasons are checked by hand against the operators and parks themselves, not derived from the climate figures on this page. Last reviewed 2026-08-28. Dates move — confirm before you book.

10 regions · current month

Zambia, taken apart

Safety · 4 governments

What the governments say about Zambia

Combined advisory · most-cautious-wins
Exercise increased caution
Highest level across 4 governments · Advisory last changed
See breakdown by country
AU

Exercise normal precautions

Changed Checked www.smartraveller.gov.au
DE

Exercise normal precautions

Changed Checked www.auswaertiges-amt.de
US

Exercise normal precautions

Changed Checked travel.state.gov

Parts of Zambia carry a higher advisory — up to level 3, "Reconsider travel". The governments concerned name a region rather than a boundary, so the carve-out is not drawn on the map and is not reflected in the combined level above. Follow the source links for where it applies.

Climate at a glance · 10-year ERA5

A decade of weather, in one page

Temperature°C
Temperature · 12-month climatologyZambia. Average daytime high by month in °C. Lowest in July (25.3), highest in October (32.9). Monthly means: 27.0, 27.8, 27.8, 27.4, 26.8, 25.3, 25.3, 28.5, 31.7, 32.9, 30.7, 28.5.
— daytime high— overnight low▬ typical range
View data table
MonthAverage daytime high (°C)Average overnight low (°C)Typical lowTypical high
January27.019.218.129.3
February27.819.218.431.0
March27.818.917.830.5
April27.417.715.429.8
May26.815.012.229.1
June25.312.610.528.6
July25.312.19.928.8
August28.514.411.531.6
September31.717.814.434.3
October32.920.117.235.5
November30.720.218.834.4
December28.519.518.332.6
Rainfallmm
Rainfall · 12-month climatologyZambia. Rainfall by month in mm. Lowest in August (0), highest in January (283). Monthly means: 283, 216, 177, 64, 6, 1, 1, 0, 1, 17, 121, 225.
View data table
MonthRainfall (mm)
January283
February216
March177
April64
May6
June1
July1
August0
September1
October17
November121
December225
Sunshinehr / day
Sunshine · 12-month climatologyZambia. Sunshine hours by month in hr / day. Lowest in January (4.9), highest in September (9.9). Monthly means: 4.9, 5.8, 6.0, 6.9, 8.4, 8.5, 8.5, 9.4, 9.9, 9.5, 7.8, 6.3.
View data table
MonthSunshine hours (hr / day)
January4.9
February5.8
March6.0
April6.9
May8.4
June8.5
July8.5
August9.4
September9.9
October9.5
November7.8
December6.3
Windkm/h
Wind · 12-month climatologyZambia. Average wind speed by month in km/h. Lowest in February (6.6), highest in September (11.5). Monthly means: 7.1, 6.6, 7.3, 9.4, 10.0, 10.2, 10.7, 10.9, 11.5, 11.2, 8.5, 7.2.
— average▬ typical range
View data table
MonthAverage wind speed (km/h)Typical lowTypical high
January7.15.310.1
February6.65.09.0
March7.34.811.0
April9.45.812.7
May10.07.413.2
June10.27.413.9
July10.77.814.6
August10.98.014.8
September11.58.215.8
October11.27.315.6
November8.55.812.5
December7.25.49.5
Premium · four more variables
Unlock Premium →
Premium
Snow depth

Snow depth for Zambia is part of the Premium map and its district-level detail. See what Premium includes.

Premium
Sea surface temperature

Sea surface temperature for Zambia is part of the Premium map and its district-level detail. See what Premium includes.

Premium
Heat index

Heat index for Zambia is part of the Premium map and its district-level detail. See what Premium includes.

Premium
Humidity

Humidity for Zambia is part of the Premium map and its district-level detail. See what Premium includes.

← Earlier
November

Around 31 °C with 121 mm of rain and 7.8 hours of sun a day.

Later →
January

Around 27 °C with 283 mm of rain and 4.9 hours of sun a day.

Same climate · neighbouring countries

If you like Zambia, also consider

Start free

Plan a December trip to Zambia.

No card required. Upgrade to Premium whenever you want more depth.

Open the mapTry Premium · €2.99