Victoria Falls, Zambia Weather and Climate
General and geographic location
Short for VFA by abbreviationfinder, the Victoria Falls are one of the seven natural wonders of our earth and are considered the “largest curtain of water” in the world.
The designation as the largest waterfall in the world is always controversial, since depending on the point of view (amount of water, height, width), in addition to the Victoria Falls, the Iguazu Falls between Brazil and Argentina and the Niagara Falls between Canada and the USA are possible.
In any case, the Victoria Falls are undisputedly the most powerful waterfalls in Africa and offer a breathtaking natural spectacle for young and old. Because of this mystical effect, the locals have always spoken of Mosi-oa-Tunya, the thundering smoke.
The water pours from the upper reaches of the Zambezi River between the border towns of Livingstone (Zambia) and Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe). Both cities have their own airports and can be easily reached in less than two hours by plane, especially via Johannesburg.
There are currently 19 viewpoints at Victoria Falls, 15 of which are on the Zimbabwe side and only four on the much wilder Zambia side of the falls.
Climate at Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe & Zambia)
The Victoria Falls lie in a corridor with a subtropical steppe climate, which is tempered by the location of the cities Victoria Falls and Livingstone directly on the Zambezi. Contrary to the classic division into four seasons, a distinction is made between three climatic phases in the region:
With small fluctuations, one speaks of the hot rainy season from around November to the end of March, from the beginning of April to the beginning of August of the cooler dry season and from mid-August to the end of October of the warm dry season. The summer at Victoria Falls (November to March) can be very humid and oppressive.
During the cooler dry season, especially the night temperatures fall between June and August are well below the 10 degree mark, the coldest month is July with an average of 6 degrees at night. In the morning the thermometer reaches around 6 o’clock around 10 degrees with the first rays of sunshine and then climbs to around 26 degrees during the day.
Most of the rain falls at Victoria Falls between December and February with the wet transition months in November and March. The period from May to the end of September (dry season) usually has almost no precipitation.
When making a combination trip, consider the climate in Botswana and other parts of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Best time to travel
Basically, there are several aspects to consider when assessing the best travel time, because in addition to the impressive water level of the Victoria Falls, most travelers naturally prefer it when the weather is overall pleasant and not too humid.
The Zambezi River usually reaches its lowest level in November or in the first weeks of December. Then the Zambia side is already extensively drained and only on the significantly deeper Zimbabwe side can the power of the world-famous waterfalls be guessed at.
The Victoria Falls reach their peak between April and May, when the masses of water over the entire area plunge into the depths with brilliant elemental force. The thunder is particularly breathtaking, but the omnipresent spray often makes perfect photo conditions difficult.
Nevertheless, the Victoria Falls are of course very popular during floods. Since the effect is increasingly flattened at low water and it can also be extremely hot and humid in October to November, we recommend the months in between as the best travel time.
The dry winter months of June to mid-September are particularly suitable for a combination of the Victoria Falls with good conditions on a safari in neighboring Botswana. All in all, we recommend March to September as the best time to visit Victoria Falls.
Temperatures, precipitation, sunshine
| Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Daytime temperature | 30 ° C | 30 ° C | 30 ° C | 30 ° C | 28 ° C | 26 ° C | 26 ° C | 28 ° C | 33 ° C | 34 ° C | 33 ° C | 30 ° C |
| Night temperature | 19 ° C | 19 ° C | 18 ° C | 15 ° C | 10 ° C | 7 ° C | 6 ° C | 9 ° C | 14 ° C | 18 ° C | 19 ° C | 19 ° C |
| Precipitation in mm | 174 | 141 | 80 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 70 | 169 |
| Rainy days | 16 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 16 |
| Hours of sunshine | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Sunrise | 5:55 | 6:10 | 6:20 | 6:25 | 6:35 | 6:45 | 6:50 | 6:35 | 6:10 | 5:45 | 5:35 | 5:35 |
| Sunset | 19:00 | 18:50 | 18:30 | 18:10 | 17:50 | 17:50 | 17:55 | 18:05 | 18:10 | 18:15 | 18:30 | 18:45 |
Temperatures
The annual average temperature is 22.1 ° C. For comparison: Munich reaches an average of 8.6 ° C, in Berlin it is 9.6 ° C. The warmest month is October (26.1 ° C), coldest month of July with averages of 15.9 ° C.
Precipitation
The annual precipitation is 691 mm on 73 days with precipitation. For comparison: In Munich, 967 mm, in Berlin 570 mm, precipitation is measured annually. There is no rainy season, i.e. months with more than 175 mm of precipitation. Snowfall is generally not expected in any month.
Sunshine
As our climate table shows, August is the sunniest month with an average of 10.3 hours of sunshine per day. On average over the year the sun shines 8.7 hours per day. For comparison: In Munich and Berlin, the sun shines an average of 4.7 hours per day throughout the year.
Cities nearby
The following major towns are nearby and have a similar climate: Livingstone.
Victoria Falls weather in March, April and May
Daily temperatures averaging 28 to 30 ° C can be expected over the next three months. The temperatures hardly fluctuate during this time.
The expected rainfall is around 9 days in March, around 3 days in April and around 0 days in May.
In the period from March to May the sun shines on average between 8 and 10 hours a day. The sunniest weather in Victoria Falls is in May, but with less sun you will have to get by in March.
