Nairobi climate
Nairobi (Kenya) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 20 °C68 °F, and about 602 mm24 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Nairobi climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2781 | 1356 | 2068 | 391.5 |
| Feb | 2983 | 1457 | 2170 | 291.1 |
| Mar | 2883 | 1458 | 2170 | 642.5 |
| Apr | 2679 | 1458 | 2068 | 1144.5 |
| May | 2577 | 1356 | 1966 | 732.9 |
| Jun | 2577 | 1254 | 1865 | 251.0 |
| Jul | 2577 | 1253 | 1865 | 170.7 |
| Aug | 2679 | 1253 | 1966 | 220.9 |
| Sep | 2882 | 1355 | 2068 | 200.8 |
| Oct | 2882 | 1356 | 2169 | 532.1 |
| Nov | 2678 | 1457 | 2068 | 813.2 |
| Dec | 2678 | 1457 | 2067 | 652.6 |
| Year | 2983 | 1253 | 2068 | 60224 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63% | 51% | 6.5 | 12:11 |
| Feb | 59% | 51% | 6.9 | 12:09 |
| Mar | 63% | 58% | 6.7 | 12:07 |
| Apr | 73% | 73% | 5.8 | 12:05 |
| May | 75% | 70% | 5.3 | 12:04 |
| Jun | 70% | 70% | 4.7 | 12:03 |
| Jul | 64% | 67% | 4.9 | 12:03 |
| Aug | 63% | 67% | 5.2 | 12:04 |
| Sep | 59% | 57% | 6.1 | 12:06 |
| Oct | 62% | 64% | 6.1 | 12:08 |
| Nov | 73% | 67% | 5.8 | 12:11 |
| Dec | 71% | 57% | 6.1 | 12:12 |
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 Nairobi is like
The warmest month is March, with an average high of 28 °C83 °F and a low of 14 °C58 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 25 °C77 °F and lows 12 °C53 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 2.9 °C5.3 °F.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 602 mm24 in. The wettest three-month stretch is March–May, which brings 42% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: July. The wettest month is April (114 mm4.5 in), the driest is July (17 mm0.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 59% in February to 75% in May. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 51%) are typical of February. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in June to 13 km/h (8 mph) in October.
Best time to visit Nairobi
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–March: average highs of 25 °C77 °F to 29 °C83 °F with 17 mm0.7 in to 81 mm3.2 in of precipitation per month.
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.
Nairobi weather by month
- January27 °C81 °F / 13 °C56 °F
- February29 °C83 °F / 14 °C57 °F
- March28 °C83 °F / 14 °C58 °F
- April26 °C79 °F / 14 °C58 °F
- May25 °C77 °F / 13 °C56 °F
- June25 °C77 °F / 12 °C54 °F
- July25 °C77 °F / 12 °C53 °F
- August26 °C79 °F / 12 °C53 °F
- September28 °C82 °F / 13 °C55 °F
- October28 °C82 °F / 13 °C56 °F
- November26 °C78 °F / 14 °C57 °F
- December26 °C78 °F / 14 °C57 °F
What to pack for Nairobi
- Wetter months (March–May, October–December) — highs 2577 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 1356 to 14 °C58 °F, about 75 mm3.0 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.
- Drier months (January and February, June–September) — highs 2577 to 29 °C83 °F, lows 1253 to 14 °C57 °F, about 25 mm1.0 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 Nairobi compares
Of the 18 places in Kenya covered by World Climates, Nairobi is the 15th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 15th 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 (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Huánuco (Peru, BSh), Arusha (Tanzania, Cwa) and Los Teques (Venezuela, Aw).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Ongata Rongai (pop. 172,569), Kitengela (pop. 154,436), Mlolongo (pop. 136,351) and Ngong (pop. 102,323). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Nairobi, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Ruiru 22 km · 21 °C69 °F · 788 mm31 in
- Thika 40 km · 21 °C69 °F · 788 mm31 in
- Mwala 71 km · 22 °C71 °F · 656 mm26 in
- Karuri 77 km · 22 °C72 °F · 1,192 mm47 in
- Nakuru 136 km · 19 °C66 °F · 1,233 mm49 in
- Arusha 232 km · 20 °C69 °F · 869 mm34 in
- Moshi 237 km · 24 °C75 °F · 699 mm28 in
- Kisii 238 km · 20 °C69 °F · 1,747 mm69 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Nairobi?
March is the warmest month in Nairobi, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 14 °C (58 °F).
What is the coldest month in Nairobi?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 25 °C (77 °F) and an average low of 12 °C (53 °F).
When does it rain the most in Nairobi?
April is the wettest month with about 114 mm (4.5 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 17 mm (0.7 in).
What is the best time to visit Nairobi?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–March.
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.