Climate of Zambia

The climate of Zambia in Central and Southern Africa is tropical modified by altitude (elevation). In the Köppen climate classification, most of the country is classified as humid subtropical or tropical wet and dry, with small patches of semi-arid steppe climate in the south-west.

Climate and specifically rainfall amount is the chief determinant of type and distribution of the ecoregions of Zambia.

There are two main seasons, the rainy season (November to April) corresponding to summer, and the dry season (May to October/November), corresponding to winter. The dry season is subdivided into the cool dry season (May to August), and the hot dry season (September to October/November). The modifying influence of altitude gives the country pleasant subtropical weather rather than tropical conditions for most of the year.

Rainfall varies over a range of 500 to 1,400 mm (19.7 to 55.1 in) per year (most areas fall into the range 700 to 1,200 mm or 27.6 to 47.2 in). The distinction between rainy and dry seasons is marked, with no rain at all falling in June, July and August. Much of the economic, cultural and social life of the country is dominated by the onset and end of the rainy season, and the amount of rain it brings. Failure of the rains causes hunger from time to time. The average temperature in Zambia in the summer is 30 °C and in the winter (colder season) it can get as low as 5 °C. The rains are brought by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and are characterised by thunderstorms, occasionally severe, with much lightning and sometimes hail. The ITCZ is located north of Zambia in the dry season. It moves southwards in the second half of the year, and northwards in the first half of the year. In some years, it moves south of Zambia, leading to a "little dry season" in the north of the country for three or four weeks in December.

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