The climate in Kenya

Climate zone: tropics

It is warm to hot all year round, inviting bathing at average water temperatures of 27 degrees. The warmest and also rainiest greaster region is North-Eastern. The coldest is Western.

Temperature records of the last 75 years

The hottest temperature measured from 1949 to September 2024 was reported by the Mandera weather station. In April 2019, the record temperature of 41.6 °C was reported here. The hottest meteorological summer from June to August, based on all 13 weather stations in Kenya below 1,800 meters altitude, was recorded in 1975 with an average temperature of 27.1 °C. This average temperature will normally be measured every four to six hours, thus also including the nights. Normally, this value is 24.3 degrees Celsius.

The coldest day in these 75 years was reported by the Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Airport weather station. Here the temperature dropped to 2.8 °C in July 2002. Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Airport lies at an altitude of 1,624 meters above sea level. The coldest winter (December to February) was in 1957 with an average temperature of 17.8 °C. In Kenya, it is usual to have about 9.1 degrees more at 26.8 °C for this three-month period.

The most precipitation fell in November 1994. With 22.0 mm per day, the Meru weather station recorded the highest monthly average of the last 75 years. Incidentally, the region with the most rainfall for the whole year is around Malindi. The driest region is near Lodwar.

Record months last year

We compared the record values of the past months with those of the same months in previous years. We used the same criteria to examine the respective maximum and minimum values in the categories of average temperature, precipitation, hours of sunshine and the maximum and minimum temperatures measured throughout the country. We have listed all measured values that have not been reached in Kenya for 10 or more years.

• With 7.00 liters of precipitation in 2024, April was the wettest in 18 years (7.07 l/m² in 2006).
• At 29.40°C, March 2024 was the warmest March in 48 years (30.40°C in 1976).
• At 28.96°C, February 2024 was the warmest February in 49 years (29.92°C in 1975).
• With 1.10 liters of precipitation in 2024, February was the wettest in 13 years (1.35 l/m² in 2011).

The most recent months after October 2024 are not yet available here. We only calculate climatic comparisons after a large number of weather stations on a continent have checked and published their data.

Data basis and methodology

The data from the individual measuring stations are based on the archives of the German Weather Service, individual values averaged and supplemented by own elements. In order to determine a representative national average, average values were first calculated for each part of the country, which were then summarized at the national level. Thus, if a disproportionate number of weather stations are located in a small area, their number does not affect the national average.