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October Weather in Lusaka Zambia

Daily high temperatures are around 87°F, rarely falling below 79°F or exceeding 93°F. The highest daily average high temperature is 87°F on October 22.

Daily low temperatures increase by 4°F, from 61°F to 64°F, rarely falling below 56°F or exceeding 69°F.

For reference, on October 21, the hottest day of the year, temperatures in Lusaka typically range from 64°F to 87°F, while on July 7, the coldest day of the year, they range from 46°F to 72°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in October in Lusaka

The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the hourly average temperatures for the quarter of the year centered on October. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in October in Lusaka

Average Hourly Temperature in October in LusakaOct112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMSepNovcoolcoolcomfortablecomfortablewarmhot
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Las Colonias de Hidalgo, Mexico (8,911 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Lusaka (view comparison).

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The month of October in Lusaka experiences very rapidly increasing cloud cover, with the percentage of time that the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy increasing from 19% to 39%.

The clearest day of the month is October 1, with clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy conditions 81% of the time.

For reference, on January 12, the cloudiest day of the year, the chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 82%, while on June 24, the clearest day of the year, the chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy skies is 93%.

Cloud Cover Categories in October in Lusaka

Cloud Cover Categories in October in LusakaOct11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%SepNovOct 181%Oct 181%Oct 3161%Oct 3161%Oct 1176%Oct 1176%Oct 2170%Oct 2170%clearovercastmostly cloudymostly clear
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. In Lusaka, the chance of a wet day over the course of October is very rapidly increasing, starting the month at 4% and ending it at 16%.

For reference, the year's highest daily chance of a wet day is 69% on January 28, and its lowest chance is 0% on July 15.

Probability of Precipitation in October in Lusaka

Probability of Precipitation in October in LusakaOct11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%0%5%5%10%10%15%15%20%20%25%25%30%30%35%35%40%40%45%45%50%50%SepNovOct 14%Oct 14%Oct 3116%Oct 3116%Oct 117%Oct 117%Oct 2110%Oct 2110%rain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).

Rainfall

To show variation within the month and not just the monthly total, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day.

The average sliding 31-day rainfall during October in Lusaka is rapidly increasing, starting the month at 0.2 inches, when it rarely exceeds 0.7 inches, and ending the month at 1.3 inches, when it rarely exceeds 2.6 inches or falls below 0.3 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in October in Lusaka

The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.

Over the course of October in Lusaka, the length of the day is gradually increasing. From the start to the end of the month, the length of the day increases by 25 minutes, implying an average daily increase of 50 seconds, and weekly increase of 5 minutes, 50 seconds.

The shortest day of the month is October 1, with 12 hours, 14 minutes of daylight and the longest day is October 31, with 12 hours, 39 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in October in Lusaka

The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.

The latest sunrise of the month in Lusaka is 5:49 AM on October 1 and the earliest sunrise is 18 minutes earlier at 5:30 AM on October 31.

The earliest sunset is 6:03 PM on October 1 and the latest sunset is 7 minutes later at 6:10 PM on October 31.

Daylight saving time is not observed in Lusaka during 2024.

For reference, on December 21, the longest day of the year, the Sun rises at 5:33 AM and sets 13 hours, 3 minutes later, at 6:36 PM, while on June 20, the shortest day of the year, it rises at 6:32 AM and sets 11 hours, 13 minutes later, at 5:44 PM.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in October in Lusaka

The solar day over the course of October. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in October in Lusaka

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in October in LusakaOct112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMSepNov001010202020303040405050506060707080800001010202030303040405050606060707080
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of October 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for October 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. The label associated with each bar indicates the date and time that the phase is obtained, and the companion time labels indicate the rise and set times of the Moon for the nearest time interval in which the moon is above the horizon.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in October in Lusaka

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in October in LusakaOct112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM12 AM4 AM4 AM8 AM8 AM12 PM12 PM4 PM4 PM8 PM8 PM12 AM12 AMSepNovSep 33:56 AMSep 33:56 AMSep 184:35 AMSep 184:35 AMOct 28:50 PMOct 28:50 PMOct 171:27 PMOct 171:27 PMNov 12:48 PMNov 12:48 PMNov 1511:29 PMNov 1511:29 PM6:23 AM6:23 AM6:26 PM6:26 PM5:33 PM5:33 PM6:08 AM6:08 AM5:30 AM5:30 AM5:54 PM5:54 PM6:13 PM6:13 PM6:08 AM6:08 AM5:12 AM5:12 AM6:13 PM6:13 PM5:59 PM5:59 PM5:34 AM5:34 AM
The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.
Oct 2024IlluminationMoonriseMoonsetMoonriseMeridian PassingDistance
1
2%4:58 AME5:09 PMW-11:03 AMN252,173 mi
2
0%5:30 AME5:54 PMW-11:41 AMN252,562 mi
3
0%6:02 AME6:40 PMW-12:20 PMN252,521 mi
4
3%6:36 AMESE7:27 PMWSW-1:00 PMN252,046 mi
5
7%7:11 AMESE8:16 PMWSW-1:42 PMS251,113 mi
6
12%7:50 AMESE9:08 PMWSW-2:27 PMS249,686 mi
7
20%8:33 AMESE10:03 PMWSW-3:16 PMS247,731 mi
8
28%9:21 AMESE10:58 PMWSW-4:09 PMS245,230 mi
9
38%10:15 AMESE11:55 PMWSW-5:05 PMS242,208 mi
10
50%11:12 AMESE--6:02 PMS238,749 mi
11
60%-12:49 AMWSW12:12 PMESE6:58 PMS235,012 mi
12
71%-1:40 AMWSW1:13 PMESE7:53 PMS231,233 mi
13
81%-2:29 AMWSW2:13 PMESE8:45 PMN227,713 mi
14
90%-3:14 AMWSW3:13 PME9:36 PMN224,789 mi
15
96%-3:57 AMW4:12 PME10:26 PMN222,784 mi
16
99%-4:39 AMW5:12 PME11:17 PMN221,951 mi
17
100%-5:22 AMW6:13 PMENE--
18
100%-6:08 AMWNW7:17 PMENE12:10 AMN222,418 mi
19
97%-6:58 AMWNW8:23 PMENE1:07 AMN224,160 mi
20
91%-7:52 AMWNW9:28 PMENE2:06 AMN226,989 mi
21
83%-8:50 AMWNW10:32 PMENE3:09 AMN230,599 mi
22
73%-9:50 AMWNW11:31 PMENE4:11 AMN234,616 mi
23
62%-10:50 AMWNW-5:11 AMN238,671 mi
24
50%12:23 AMENE11:48 AMWNW-6:06 AMN242,453 mi
25
41%1:09 AMENE12:42 PMWNW-6:56 AMN245,739 mi
26
32%1:49 AMENE1:33 PMWNW-7:42 AMN248,395 mi
27
23%2:26 AMENE2:20 PMW-8:23 AMN250,360 mi
28
15%3:00 AME3:07 PMW-9:03 AMN251,639 mi
29
9%3:32 AME3:52 PMW-9:41 AMN252,275 mi
30
4%4:04 AME4:37 PMW-10:20 AMN252,340 mi
31
1%4:37 AME5:24 PMWSW-10:59 AMN251,912 mi

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The chance that a given day will be muggy in Lusaka is increasing during October, rising from 1% to 9% over the course of the month.

For reference, on January 27, the muggiest day of the year, there are muggy conditions 77% of the time, while on July 6, the least muggy day of the year, there are muggy conditions 0% of the time.

Humidity Comfort Levels in October in Lusaka

Humidity Comfort Levels in October in LusakaOct11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%SepNovOct 11%Oct 11%Oct 319%Oct 319%Oct 112%Oct 112%Oct 214%Oct 214%muggymuggyhumidhumidcomfortablecomfortabledrydryoppressiveoppressive
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Lusaka is gradually decreasing during October, decreasing from 12.7 miles per hour to 11.7 miles per hour over the course of the month.

For reference, on October 3, the windiest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 12.7 miles per hour, while on February 6, the calmest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 6.6 miles per hour.

The highest daily average wind speed during October is 12.7 miles per hour on October 4.

Average Wind Speed in October in Lusaka

The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

The hourly average wind direction in Lusaka throughout October is predominantly from the east, with a peak proportion of 96% on October 3.

Wind Direction in October in Lusaka

Wind Direction in October in LusakaOct11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%SepNoveastnorth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Temperatures in Lusaka are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in October in Lusaka

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in October in LusakaOct11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%SepNov100%Oct 16100%Oct 16coldcoolcomfortablewarmhot
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

The average accumulated growing degree days in Lusaka are rapidly increasing during October, increasing by 720°F, from 1,339°F to 2,059°F, over the course of the month.

Growing Degree Days in October in Lusaka

Growing Degree Days in October in LusakaOct11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031311,300°F1,300°F1,400°F1,400°F1,500°F1,500°F1,600°F1,600°F1,700°F1,700°F1,800°F1,800°F1,900°F1,900°F2,000°F2,000°F2,100°F2,100°FSepNovOct 11,339°FOct 11,339°FOct 312,059°FOct 312,059°FOct 111,571°FOct 111,571°FOct 211,813°FOct 211,813°F
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of October, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy in Lusaka is essentially constant during October, remaining within 0.1 kWh of 7.4 kWh throughout.

The highest average daily incident shortwave solar energy during October is 7.5 kWh on October 20.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in October in Lusaka

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in October in LusakaOct11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWhSepNovOct 207.5 kWhOct 207.5 kWhOct 17.3 kWhOct 17.3 kWhOct 317.4 kWhOct 317.4 kWh
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Lusaka are -15.407 deg latitude, 28.287 deg longitude, and 4,190 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Lusaka contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 240 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 4,176 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (741 feet). Within 50 miles contains significant variations in elevation (3,602 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Lusaka is covered by artificial surfaces (100%), within 10 miles by artificial surfaces (59%) and grassland (21%), and within 50 miles by shrubs (38%) and grassland (26%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Lusaka, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 2 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Lusaka.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Lusaka according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Lusaka is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Lusaka and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Lusaka and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

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