Embu weather in May

In May, Embu sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 193 mm of rain across 22.7 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of May to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Embu's 7th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Embu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
8th warmest
Overnight low
17°
10th coldest
Rainfall
193 mm
22.7 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:27 AM – 6:26 PM
Cloud cover
63%
7th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.07 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Embu is city in Kenya.

Founded
1906

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month.

A typical May day in Embu reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12417
22417
32417
42417
52417
62417
72417
82417
92417
102417
112417
122417
132417
142417
152417
162417
172417
182417
192417
202417
212417
222417
232417
242417
252417
262417
272416
282416
292416
302416
312416

Embu weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°808.8127.1
Feb27° / 16°686.8127.0
Mar27° / 17°10813.5126.1
Apr25° / 17°24625.4124.4
May24° / 17°19322.7125.0
Jun23° / 16°6614.1125.9
Jul22° / 15°4210.1126.3
Aug23° / 15°4811.6126.3
Sep25° / 16°459.1126.8
Oct25° / 17°15318.8125.5
Nov24° / 17°19022.7124.9
Dec25° / 16°9713.6126.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 33% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23961
34060
44060
54159
64258
74357
84456
94456
104654
114753
124753
134852
144852
154951
164951
174951
184951
194951
205050
214951
225050
235050
244951
254951
264951
274852
284753
294753
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Embu gets around 193 mm of rain over 22.7 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 73% and peaks near 91% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
191
291
390
490
589
689
788
887
985
1084
1182
1281
1379
1477
1575
1673
1771
1869
1968
2066
2164
2262
2361
2459
2558
2657
2756
2855
2955
3054
3153

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 64% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1012862
2012871
3012871
4013861
5013861
6013861
7014851
8015841
9017821
10018811
11020800
12022780
13025750
14027730
15030700
16032680
17135640
18137620
19140590
20143560
21145540
22148510
23250480
24253450
25255430
26356410
27358390
28359380
29460360
30461350
31463330

Wind in May

Winds average 5 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 hours at the start of May to 12 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:28 AM to 6:28 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:286:27
212.06:286:27
312.06:286:27
412.06:286:26
512.06:286:26
612.06:276:26
712.06:276:26
812.06:276:26
912.06:276:26
1012.06:276:26
1112.06:276:26
1212.06:276:26
1312.06:276:26
1412.06:276:26
1512.06:276:26
1612.06:276:26
1712.06:276:26
1812.06:276:26
1912.06:276:26
2012.06:276:26
2112.06:276:26
2212.06:276:26
2312.06:286:26
2412.06:286:26
2512.06:286:26
2612.06:286:26
2712.06:286:26
2812.06:286:26
2912.06:286:26
3012.06:286:27
3112.06:286:27

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.07 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.16 kWh/m² to a high of 6.53 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.07 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Embu?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Embu for sightseeing.

What to pack for Embu in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Embu sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Embu in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Embu peaks around March 17 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 11 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 17UV 16Jun 18UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Embu in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Embu is worst in December — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.8× the cleanest month (September, 21 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorDec 1938 µg/m³Sep 1922 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan36Poor
Feb36Poor
Mar35Moderate
Apr33Moderate
May30Moderate
Jun33Moderate
Jul30Moderate
Aug24Moderate
Sep21Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov33Moderate
Dec39Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Embu?

Embu sits at 0.5°S, 37.5°E, 1,336 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Wanguru, 20 km away.

Topography around Embu

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Embu.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Embu has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 260 m around an average of 1,353 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 767 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,672 m.

The land around Embu is covered by trees (59%) within 3 km, trees (50%) and cropland (26%) within 16 km, and shrubs (38%) and trees (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
260 m
16 km
767 m
80 km
4,672 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Wanguru 20 km · Kerugoya 20 km · Chuka 31 km · Karuri 35 km · Karatina 37 km · Murang’a 39 km · Kenol 58 km · Nyeri 58 km

Kenya travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type G
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,363
2025
Happiness
4.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
4.9
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
28.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 593
Religion
Christian 86%Muslim 11%other 2%none 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Embu (-0.5399°, 37.4574°, elevation 1,336 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).