Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, sits on a plateau in the south-centre of the country at around 1,280 metres above sea level, at approximately -15.42°S, 28.28°E. Its altitude tempers the tropical latitude to give a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) — warm, rainy summers and mild, dry winters — with a sharply defined wet and dry season.

The wet season, from November to April — the austral summer — is warm and rainy, with highs around 27–29°C, kept from becoming truly hot by the plateau altitude. Heavy afternoon and evening thunderstorms bring nearly all of the year's rain, with December to February the wettest months, greening the surrounding bush.

The dry season, from May to August — the austral winter — is mild, dry and brilliantly sunny, with highs around 23–25°C and cool nights that can drop to 8–10°C in June and July. Rain is entirely absent, skies are clear, and this bright, mild stretch is comfortably the best time of year, before the fierce heat of October.

Lusaka receives on the order of 800–850 mm of rain a year, overwhelmingly in the wet season from November to April, while it practically never rains from May to September — a long, pronounced dry season. The rains are erratic, and drought is a recurring risk. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Lusaka's hottest month is October, at the end of the long dry season just before the rains break, when the heat builds oppressively and the bush is tinder-dry. Zambia's rains feed the Zambezi and the hydroelectric dams on which the country depends for its electricity — so a failed rainy season means power cuts as well as drought.

To follow any single measurement in Lusaka more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.