Zambia Climate
Top 5 Cities: Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola, Kabwe, and Livingstone
This month in numbers
Zambia experienced its 11th warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 22.5°C, marking an anomaly of +1.2°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The three-month period from February to April 2026 was the 9th warmest on record, with an average temperature of 22.83°C, an anomaly of +1.3°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C, while the February–April 2026 period also ranked as the 2nd warmest globally for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.2°C.
What changed
Zambia's consistently warmer-than-average temperatures over the past three months align with a long-term warming trend for the country, which has seen an increase of +0.99°C against the 1961–1990 baseline. The year 2025 was the warmest on record for Zambia, at 22.81°C. The country is currently experiencing a significant drought, which was declared a national disaster and has impacted approximately 9.8 million people, particularly in the Southern and Western provinces. This drought event represents 100% of the drought events logged for Zambia over the past 12 months, indicating an unusual concentration of this extreme weather phenomenon. Extreme Weather tracker
What’s driving change?
The ongoing drought in Zambia is a significant climate driver, exacerbated by the influence of ENSO. While the current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C, forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of El Niño conditions developing in the coming months, with a 61% chance for May-July and a 79% chance for June-August. El Niño events are historically associated with warmer and drier conditions in Southern Africa, often leading to major droughts and food insecurity. This aligns with the current drought, which has severely impacted agriculture and hydropower generation. Recent heavy seasonal rains in some parts of Zambia, particularly in the Zambezi catchment, have led to rising river levels and improved soil moisture conditions in April 2026, which is a positive development for the upcoming wheat planting season. However, despite these localized improvements, the overall drought situation remains critical, with climate change identified as a growing constraint on Zambia's development.
Looking ahead
The forecast for the 2026/2027 agricultural season suggests an elevated drought risk due to the possible return of El Niño conditions, which typically bring below-average rainfall and higher temperatures to Southern Africa.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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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 trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see 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.