The Weather
Kenya is divided by the Equator and enjoys a tropical climate. It is hot and humid at the coast, temperate inland and very dry in the north and northeast parts of the country. The hottest period is in February and March and the coldest in July and August. The long rains occur from April to June and short rains from October to December. Rainfall is sometimes heavy and tends to fall in the afternoon and evenings. Conditions in East Africa are often ideal, although the coast can be humid and there are hot, desert conditions at arid sites like Olorgesaillie and around Lake Turkana. But most of your destinations in Kenya boast temperatures between 70ºF-90ºF by day, and rarely below 55ºF at night. Even during the short rains, the humidity is low for much of the day, and the skies clear enough to reveal the Milky Way. The coolest months are July/August when temperatures in Nairobi are often in the 60'sºF and down to the low 50'sºF in the Aberdare region (Mt. Kenya Safari Club, the Ark and Sweetwaters).
KENYA: Average Temperature (ºF) - Average lows and highs
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
June |
Amboseli (h) |
86 |
90 |
90 |
86 |
84 |
82 |
Mara |
46/79 |
46/80 |
48/79 |
52/77 |
52/73 |
76/72 |
Mombasa |
73/89 |
75/89 |
75/89 |
75/87 |
72/84 |
72/84 |
| Nairobi | 55/78 | 55/79 | 56/79 | 59/78 | 59/75 | 55/75 |
| Nakuru | 49/84 | 49/84 | 50/82 | 52/81 | 52/77 | 50/77 |
| Samburu (h) | 81 | 82 | 82 | 81 | 77 | 77 |
| Tsavo | 68/88 | 68/91 | 68/91 | 68/88 | 68/86 | 64/84 |
|
July |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Amboseli (h) |
79 |
81 |
82 |
86 |
81 |
79 |
Mara |
46/72 |
46/73 |
44/75 |
48/79 |
48/79 |
48/79 |
Mombasa |
69/82 |
69/82 |
69/84 |
72/86 |
73/88 |
73/88 |
| Nairobi | 53/75 | 53/75 | 55/78 | 57/78 | 57/77 | 57/77 |
| Nakuru | 50/75 | 50/75 | 49/78 | 49/78 | 49/78 | 49/78 |
| Samburu (h) | 75 | 77 | 79 | 77 | 73 | 73 |
| Tsavo | 64/82 | 63/82 | 63/84 | 64/88 | 68/88 | 68/88 |
KENYA: Average Rainfall (inches)
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
June |
Amboseli |
0.7 |
7.6 |
5.6 |
0.4 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
Mara |
2.3 |
4.6 |
4.3 |
5.5 |
4.1 |
0.7 |
Mombasa |
0.7 |
0.4 |
1.2 |
4.2 |
5.9 |
2.1 |
| Nairobi | 1.9 | 1.4 | 3.3 | 6.0 | 4.9 | 1.3 |
| Nakuru | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 1.7 |
| Samburu | 0.0 | 1.5 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 1.8 |
| Tsavo | 1.4 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 0.4 |
|
July |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Amboseli |
0.0 |
0.1 |
0.0 |
2.8 |
0.0 |
5.5 |
Mara |
0.4 |
1.8 |
0.0 |
0.9 |
5.3 |
1.0 |
Mombasa |
1.3 |
1.9 |
1.8 |
2.0 |
2.6 |
1.3 |
| Nairobi | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 5.2 | 3.0 |
| Nakuru | 1.7 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 1.9 |
| Samburu | 3.6 | 4.4 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 3.5 | 0.6 |
| Tsavo | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 4.1 | 4.9 |