Climate Change Chart of Lusaka, Zambia

Overview of climate changes

Temperature changes

Averaged across calendar months, monthly mean temperature had a difference of +0.74 °C compared with the earlier reference period; this is an unweighted comparison of monthly means, not a day-weighted annual average or a measure of daytime maximum temperatures. The largest monthly increase was in November, at +1.54 °C, while the largest monthly decrease was in October, at -0.45 °C. These identify the strongest month-specific differences, not a uniform change across all months or a continuous trend.

Changes in rainfall

Averaged across calendar months, mean daily rainfall had a difference of -0.65 mm/day in the more recent period. This unweighted mean describes monthly daily-mean amounts, not a change in monthly rainfall totals or a day-weighted annual average. The largest monthly decrease was in November, with a difference of -2.49 mm/day; the largest monthly increase came in April, at +0.40 mm/day. These month-specific differences show why the overall mean should not be read as applying equally to every month.

Changes in sunshine duration

Mean daily sunshine duration had an unweighted difference across calendar months of +0.09 hours/day compared with the earlier reference period. This summarizes monthly averages rather than a day-weighted annual figure or the sunshine experienced on any particular day. The largest monthly increase occurred in January, at +0.66 hours/day, while April recorded the largest monthly decrease, at -0.64 hours/day. The contrasting month-specific differences indicate that the average change does not describe every month individually.