Thika climate
Thika (Kenya) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C69 °F, and about 788 mm31 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Thika climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2781 | 1458 | 2170 | 431.7 |
| Feb | 2984 | 1558 | 2271 | 301.2 |
| Mar | 2984 | 1660 | 2272 | 763.0 |
| Apr | 2780 | 1661 | 2170 | 1536.0 |
| May | 2678 | 1558 | 2068 | 883.4 |
| Jun | 2577 | 1456 | 1967 | 351.4 |
| Jul | 2578 | 1355 | 1966 | 251.0 |
| Aug | 2680 | 1356 | 2068 | 311.2 |
| Sep | 2882 | 1457 | 2170 | 281.1 |
| Oct | 2883 | 1559 | 2171 | 773.0 |
| Nov | 2679 | 1560 | 2169 | 1234.8 |
| Dec | 2679 | 1559 | 2069 | 803.1 |
| Year | 2984 | 1355 | 2169 | 78831 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67% | 49% | 6.5 | 12:10 |
| Feb | 63% | 51% | 6.7 | 12:09 |
| Mar | 66% | 58% | 6.5 | 12:07 |
| Apr | 76% | 72% | 5.8 | 12:05 |
| May | 78% | 67% | 5.3 | 12:04 |
| Jun | 75% | 71% | 4.5 | 12:04 |
| Jul | 71% | 72% | 4.4 | 12:04 |
| Aug | 68% | 72% | 4.7 | 12:05 |
| Sep | 64% | 57% | 5.8 | 12:06 |
| Oct | 66% | 62% | 6.1 | 12:08 |
| Nov | 77% | 66% | 5.7 | 12:10 |
| Dec | 75% | 58% | 6.0 | 12:11 |
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 Thika is like
The warmest month is March, with an average high of 29 °C84 °F and a low of 16 °C60 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 25 °C78 °F and lows 13 °C55 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3 °C5.5 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 788 mm31 in. The wettest three-month stretch is March–May, which brings 40% of the annual total. The wettest month is April (153 mm6.0 in), the driest is July (25 mm1.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 63% in February to 78% in May. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 49%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in June to 11 km/h (7 mph) in February.
Best time to visit Thika
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December–March and June–October: average highs of 25 °C77 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 25 mm1.0 in to 80 mm3.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is April, which is very wet (153 mm6.0 in) and humid (76% relative humidity).
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 Thika
- Wetter months (March–May, October–December) — highs 2678 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 1558 to 16 °C61 °F, about 99 mm3.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (January and February, June–September) — highs 2577 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 1355 to 15 °C58 °F, about 32 mm1.3 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 Thika compares
Compared with Ruiru, about 17 km to the southwest, Thika has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation.
Of the 18 places in Kenya covered by World Climates, Thika is the 11th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 13th 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: Mbarara (Uganda, Aw), Vitória da Conquista (Brazil, Aw) and Nyagatare (Rwanda, Aw).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Juja (pop. 156,041). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Thika, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Ruiru 17 km · 21 °C69 °F · 788 mm31 in
- Karuri 39 km · 22 °C72 °F · 1,192 mm47 in
- Nairobi 40 km · 20 °C68 °F · 602 mm24 in
- Mwala 56 km · 22 °C71 °F · 656 mm26 in
- Nakuru 137 km · 19 °C66 °F · 1,233 mm49 in
- Kisii 259 km · 20 °C69 °F · 1,747 mm69 in
- Moshi 259 km · 24 °C75 °F · 699 mm28 in
- Arusha 263 km · 20 °C69 °F · 869 mm34 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Thika?
March is the warmest month in Thika, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (60 °F).
What is the coldest month in Thika?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 25 °C (78 °F) and an average low of 13 °C (55 °F).
When does it rain the most in Thika?
April is the wettest month with about 153 mm (6.0 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 25 mm (1.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Thika?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December–March and June–October.
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 1,796 m, while Thika lies at about 1,506 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.9 °C3.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.