SUN SEASON?
Home › Kenya › Nairobi

Best time to visit Nairobi

Kenya · 1.29°S 36.82°E · 30-year monthly averages, judged against the Tropical preset (highs 28–38 °C82–100 °F, any rain except monsoon)

The best time to visit Nairobi is February to March, with highs of 29 °C84 °F and nights of 14–15 °C57–59 °F, and rainfall of 40–72 mm1.6–2.8 in a month.

The rainy season is April to May and November; April is a true monsoon, with 168 mm6.6 in a month and a peak in April (168 mm6.6 in). February is the hottest month (highs of 29 °C84 °F) and July the coldest (23 °C73 °F).

The figures are 30-year monthly averages (WorldClim 2.1 monthly normals 1970–2000) for the 0.25° grid cell at -1.29, 36.82. This is a climate guide, not a forecast.

Nairobi weather by month

Pick the weather you like. Every month is then judged against it: temperature above the month names, rain below.

Weather you like

highs 28–38 °C82–100 °F, any rain except monsoon

Good time to go for a Tropical holiday: February to March.

Open Nairobi on the interactive map ↗ the same verdicts for any place on Earth, in any month

▲ Highs average daily high , coldest to warmest month
27°81°JAN481.929°83°FEB401.629°83°MAR722.826°79°APR1686.625°76°MAY1204.724°75°JUN240.923°73°JUL160.624°74°AUG160.626°79°SEP160.627°81°OCT481.926°78°NOV1124.426°78°DEC722.8
▼ Rainfall per month, driest to wettest

Reading the chart. Gold means good: the month fits what you picked. Any other colour shows the reason it does not. The temperature bar can be too cold or too hot; the rain bar can be too dry, too rainy or monsoon. A faded gold bar means that half fits but the other half does not. A gold month name means both halves fit.

What the verdicts mean. Temperature is the month's average daily high (the afternoon), judged against the preset's band (highs 28–38 °C82–100 °F for Tropical). Rain is judged by each month's class within Nairobi's own year, not by raw millimetres: dry under 60 mm2.4 in, showers 60–100 mm2.4–3.9 in, rainy from 100 mm3.9 in and at least 35 % of the wettest month. Too rainy is a rainy-season month that the preset does not allow. Monsoon is the heaviest kind of rainy season: 180 mm7.1 in or more (120 mm4.7 in near the yearly peak) in a climate where the wettest month has at least three times the rain of the driest. Every monsoon month is also a rainy-season month; the label says which kind. Full rules on the method page.

MonthRain High Low SeasonTropical verdict
January481.927811456drytoo cold
February401.629831456drygood
March722.829831558showersgood
April1686.626791660monsoontoo cold
May1204.725761559rainytoo cold
June240.924751355drytoo cold
July160.623731254drytoo cold
August160.624741254drytoo cold
September160.626791355drytoo cold
October481.927811457drytoo cold
November1124.426781558rainytoo cold
December722.826781457showerstoo cold

When to go to Nairobi, by holiday type

Looking forRuleMonths that fit
Warmhighs 19–28 °C66–82 °F, dry or showersJune to October and December to January
Tropicalhighs 28–38 °C82–100 °F, any rain except monsoonFebruary to March
Beachhighs 28–38 °C82–100 °F, dry or showersFebruary to March
Coolhighs 3–19 °C37–66 °F, any rain except monsoonno month
Snowhighs below 3 °C37 °F, any rainno month

Is there a rainy season in Nairobi?

Yes. The rainy season is April to May and November; April is a true monsoon, with 168 mm6.6 in a month and a peak in April (168 mm6.6 in). Outside the rainy season, June to October and January to February is dry.

February is the hottest month (highs of 29 °C84 °F) and July the coldest (23 °C73 °F). Annual rainfall is about 752 mm30 in.

Where to go instead when Nairobi does not fit

The nearest destinations that fit the Tropical preset in the months when Nairobi does not:

Nearby destinations

distances in . Tap a unit to switch.

The interactive map colours the whole world by how well it fits the weather you like, in any month, and shows this chart for any place you tap.