Kitale climate
Kitale (Kenya) has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The average temperature over the year is 18 °C65 °F, and about 1,846 mm73 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kitale climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2576 | 1153 | 1865 | 431.7 |
| Feb | 2780 | 1254 | 2067 | 451.8 |
| Mar | 2781 | 1356 | 2068 | 1084.3 |
| Apr | 2577 | 1457 | 1967 | 2459.7 |
| May | 2374 | 1457 | 1965 | 2349.2 |
| Jun | 2272 | 1356 | 1864 | 1636.4 |
| Jul | 2271 | 1355 | 1763 | 1656.5 |
| Aug | 2271 | 1356 | 1864 | 2158.5 |
| Sep | 2374 | 1356 | 1865 | 1877.3 |
| Oct | 2374 | 1356 | 1865 | 2028.0 |
| Nov | 2373 | 1355 | 1864 | 1556.1 |
| Dec | 2374 | 1253 | 1763 | 843.3 |
| Year | 2781 | 1153 | 1865 | 1,84673 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69% | 45% | 6.4 | 12:04 |
| Feb | 62% | 50% | 6.7 | 12:05 |
| Mar | 65% | 60% | 6.5 | 12:06 |
| Apr | 76% | 74% | 6.0 | 12:08 |
| May | 82% | 62% | 6.0 | 12:10 |
| Jun | 82% | 58% | 5.5 | 12:11 |
| Jul | 83% | 65% | 5.3 | 12:10 |
| Aug | 83% | 60% | 5.7 | 12:09 |
| Sep | 79% | 53% | 6.4 | 12:07 |
| Oct | 81% | 67% | 6.1 | 12:05 |
| Nov | 83% | 65% | 5.8 | 12:04 |
| Dec | 78% | 50% | 6.0 | 12:04 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Kitale is like
The warmest month is March, with an average high of 27 °C81 °F and a low of 13 °C56 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 22 °C71 °F and lows 13 °C55 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 2.8 °C5.1 °F.
It is wet, with about 1,846 mm73 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is April–June, which brings 35% of the annual total. The wettest month is April (245 mm9.7 in), the driest is January (43 mm1.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 62% in February to 83% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 45%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (2 mph) in June to 10 km/h (6 mph) in February.
Best time to visit Kitale
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December–February: average highs of 23 °C74 °F to 27 °C80 °F with 43 mm1.7 in to 84 mm3.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is April, which is very wet (245 mm9.7 in).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Kitale
- Wetter months (April–November) — highs 2271 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 1355 to 14 °C57 °F, about 196 mm7.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (December–March) — highs 2374 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 1153 to 13 °C56 °F, about 70 mm2.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Kitale compares
Compared with Eldoret, about 62 km to the southeast, Kitale is on average 1.2 °C2.2 °F warmer and receives 5% less precipitation (1,846 mm73 in vs 1,950 mm77 in). The difference is largest in July (1.6 °C2.8 °F warmer).
Of the 18 places in Kenya covered by World Climates, Kitale is the 17th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 5th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Kenya climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Sodo (Ethiopia, Cfb), Butembo (DR Congo, Af) and Jimma (Ethiopia, Cwb).
Nearby places
- Eldoret 62 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,950 mm77 in
- Kakamega 86 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,950 mm77 in
- Mbale 93 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,668 mm66 in
- Khwisero 104 km · 21 °C71 °F · 1,868 mm74 in
- Kisumu 127 km · 23 °C74 °F · 2,009 mm79 in
- Nakuru 189 km · 19 °C66 °F · 1,233 mm49 in
- Kisii 191 km · 20 °C69 °F · 1,747 mm69 in
- Njeru 213 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,500 mm59 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kitale?
March is the warmest month in Kitale, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 13 °C (56 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kitale?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 22 °C (71 °F) and an average low of 13 °C (55 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kitale?
April is the wettest month with about 245 mm (9.7 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 43 mm (1.7 in).
What is the best time to visit Kitale?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December–February.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 2,098 m, while Kitale lies at about 1,900 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.3 °C2.3 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.