Zambia Climate – June 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola, Kabwe, and Livingstone
This month in numbers
Zambia experienced a warmer-than-average June 2026, with temperatures reaching 18.46°C, an anomaly of +0.5°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranked as the 28th warmest June in 86 years of records. Globally, June 2026 was the 3rd warmest on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1°C. The April–June 2026 period in Zambia was also notably warm, ranking as the 27th warmest on record with an average temperature of 20.29°C, an anomaly of +0.6°C.
What changed
Over the past three months (April–June 2026), Zambia's average temperature was 20.29°C, marking a +0.6°C anomaly against the 1961–1990 baseline. This places the region as the 211th warmest out of 234 regions globally for this period. The country's long-term warming trend stands at +0.99°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline, with 2025 being the warmest year on record at 22.81°C. This continued warmth in Zambia aligns with the broader global trend, as global land temperatures for April–June 2026 ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, with an anomaly of +1°C.
What’s driving change?
The persistent warmth in Zambia is significantly influenced by the ongoing weak El Niño, which has been active since April–June 2026 with a +0.98°C anomaly. Forecasts indicate a 100% probability of El Niño conditions persisting through the end of 2026 and into early 2027, which typically brings warmer and drier conditions to Southern Africa, often leading to drought and impacting food security. This El Niño event has already triggered widespread food insecurity and water shortages in Zambia. Additionally, Zambia has experienced a cluster of three wildfire events between July 2nd and July 9th, representing 100% of the country's annual total for the past 12 months, which is an unusual concentration for the start of the dry season, which typically runs from May to October. More information on active extreme weather events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Zambia
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Zambia – Monthly Temperature – All Years
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Records – Zambia
Our World in Data / NOAA - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen Aw · TropicalZambia has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±3.9°C) and a wet/dry cycle (225× wet:dry ratio). Both sides of the annual rhythm are shown below.
Monthly rainfall climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Dec (+11 mm, +5%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Rainfall & Precipitation
Rainfall & Rain Days – Totals
Headline: anomaly vs the 1961–1990 mean. Small figure: the actual value. Rank: position in the full record (1st = highest ever). Record: highest (or lowest) value on record with its year.
Climate Systems
Loading ENSO tracker…
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Zambia
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Zambia changing?
Zambia is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Zambia come from?
Climate data for Zambia comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Zambia climate data cover?
The Zambia climate profile covers Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola, Kabwe and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Zambia
How often is the Zambia climate update refreshed?
The Zambia climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.