Mandera climate
Mandera (Kenya) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 29 °C85 °F, and about 410 mm16 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Mandera climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3697 | 2170 | 2983 | 30.1 |
| Feb | 38101 | 2374 | 3187 | 30.1 |
| Mar | 39102 | 2577 | 3290 | 241.0 |
| Apr | 3596 | 2577 | 3086 | 1265.0 |
| May | 3595 | 2475 | 2985 | 371.5 |
| Jun | 3594 | 2373 | 2984 | 50.2 |
| Jul | 3494 | 2272 | 2883 | 30.1 |
| Aug | 3596 | 2373 | 2984 | 40.2 |
| Sep | 3799 | 2374 | 3086 | 70.3 |
| Oct | 3596 | 2476 | 3086 | 873.4 |
| Nov | 3493 | 2373 | 2883 | 863.4 |
| Dec | 3594 | 2170 | 2882 | 240.9 |
| Year | 39102 | 2170 | 2985 | 41016 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41% | 22% | 6.7 | 11:55 |
| Feb | 35% | 25% | 7.1 | 11:59 |
| Mar | 40% | 37% | 6.9 | 12:05 |
| Apr | 59% | 64% | 5.9 | 12:12 |
| May | 61% | 51% | 5.8 | 12:18 |
| Jun | 54% | 66% | 5.2 | 12:21 |
| Jul | 51% | 68% | 5.0 | 12:20 |
| Aug | 48% | 56% | 5.6 | 12:15 |
| Sep | 45% | 43% | 6.2 | 12:08 |
| Oct | 55% | 58% | 5.5 | 12:01 |
| Nov | 62% | 49% | 5.7 | 11:56 |
| Dec | 51% | 25% | 6.3 | 11:54 |
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 Mandera is like
The warmest month is March, with an average high of 39 °C102 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 35 °C94 °F and lows 21 °C70 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 4.1 °C7.5 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 410 mm16 in. The wettest three-month stretch is October–December, which brings 48% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January and February and June–September. The wettest month is April (126 mm5.0 in), the driest is July (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 35% in February to 62% in November. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 22%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in November to 21 km/h (13 mph) in August.
Best time to visit Mandera
No month comes close to our comfort ideal here. The least demanding months are June, July and December (average highs 35 °C94 °F, 34 °C94 °F and 35 °C94 °F).
The most challenging month is March, which is hot, with average highs of 39 °C102 °F.
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 Mandera
- Wetter months (April and May, October and November) — highs 3493 to 35 °C96 °F, lows 2373 to 25 °C77 °F, about 84 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Drier months (December–March, June–September) — highs 3494 to 39 °C102 °F, lows 2170 to 25 °C77 °F, about 9 mm0.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Mandera compares
Compared with Baidoa, about 219 km to the southeast, Mandera is on average 3 °C5.5 °F warmer and receives 38% less precipitation (410 mm16 in vs 663 mm26 in). The difference is largest in June (3.8 °C6.8 °F warmer).
Of the 18 places in Kenya covered by World Climates, Mandera is the 2nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 17th 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: Cabudwaaq (Somalia, BWh), Warder (Ethiopia, BSh) and Marka (Somalia, BSh).
Nearby places
- Baidoa 219 km · 26 °C79 °F · 663 mm26 in
- Marka 407 km · 27 °C80 °F · 359 mm14 in
- Mogadishu 441 km · 27 °C80 °F · 329 mm13 in
- Dila 479 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,503 mm59 in
- Kismayo 484 km · 27 °C81 °F · 588 mm23 in
- Awasa 511 km · 20 °C68 °F · 1,432 mm56 in
- Warder 513 km · 27 °C81 °F · 363 mm14 in
- Arba Minch 531 km · 24 °C74 °F · 1,173 mm46 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Mandera?
March is the warmest month in Mandera, with an average high of 39 °C (102 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Mandera?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 35 °C (94 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (70 °F).
When does it rain the most in Mandera?
April is the wettest month with about 126 mm (5.0 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
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 271 m, while Mandera lies at about 217 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.