Zambezi climate — normals and trends
Zambezi (Zambia) has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 22.0 °C and it receives 1,211 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is October (25.5 °C on average) and the coldest is June (18.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Zambezi averages 0 frost days, 94 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 146 rainy days per year.
Zambezi has warmed by +1.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.11 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 38.5 °C (on 12 October 1941) and the coldest 4.1 °C (on 16 June 1968).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
ZambeziNorth-Western
- coords
- -13.54°, 23.10°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
22.0°C
Average daily high
28.4°C
Average daily low
16.8°C
Annual rainfall
1,211mm
Sunshine / day
10.3h
Mean relative humidity
62%
Average peak wind
13.2km/h
Seasonal range
6.6°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
94 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
146 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
30.0 °C
Average feels-like low
16.6 °C
Average peak gust
32.4 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
26 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.4 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.0 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.33 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
38.5 °C
12 October 1941
Coldest day
4.1 °C
16 June 1968
Wettest day
126 mm
15 December 1957
Windiest day
28.8 km/h
3 September 1961
Strongest gust
65.2 km/h
29 January 2022
Hottest feels-like
39.9 °C
15 October 2015
Coldest feels-like
-0.3 °C
1 July 1994
Sunniest day
12.8 h
23 December 2025
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27.1 °C | +0.6 °C | 328 mm | +74 mm |
| Feb | 28.2 °C | +1.5 °C | 230 mm | -5 mm |
| Mar | 28.6 °C | +1.5 °C | 131 mm | -57 mm |
| Apr | 27.6 °C | -0.4 °C | 117 mm | +70 mm |
| May | 27.6 °C | -0.6 °C | 1 mm | -2 mm |
| Jun | 26.6 °C | -0.1 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Jul | 26.3 °C | -0.6 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Aug | 30.4 °C | +0.5 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Sep | 34.1 °C | +1.2 °C | 2 mm | -3 mm |
| Oct | 34.2 °C | +1.8 °C | 29 mm | -27 mm |
| Nov | 29.3 °C | +0.9 °C | 155 mm | -25 mm |
| Dec | 27.9 °C | +1.2 °C | 170 mm | -74 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Zambezi?
Zambezi has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 22.0 °C and it receives 1,211 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Zambezi?
The hottest day measured in Zambezi between 1940 and 2025 was 12 October 1941, reaching 38.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Zambezi?
The coldest day measured in Zambezi between 1940 and 2025 was 16 June 1968, at 4.1 °C.
Does it snow in Zambezi?
Almost never: Zambezi sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Zambezi warmed?
Yes: Zambezi warmed by +1.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Zambezi?
The wettest day measured in Zambezi between 1940 and 2025 was 15 December 1957, with 126 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Zambezi?
The windiest day measured in Zambezi between 1940 and 2025 was 3 September 1961, with winds reaching 28.8 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Zambezi?
The warmest month in Zambezi is October (25.5 °C on average); the coldest is June (18.9 °C).
How much does it rain in Zambezi?
Zambezi receives on average 1,211 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 146 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Zambezi?
Zambezi gets on average 10.3 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,760 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Zambezi?
Yes: Zambezi has on average 26 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Zambezi?
In Zambezi, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 39.9 °C on 15 October 2015, and the lowest was -0.3 °C on 1 July 1994.
Compare Zambezi with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Zambezi