Garissa weather in May

In May, Garissa sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 16 mm of rain across 3.1 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Garissa's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Garissa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
7th warmest
Overnight low
24°
9th coldest
Rainfall
16 mm
3.1 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:18 AM – 6:17 PM
Cloud cover
54%
8th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Garissa is capital of Garissa County, Kenya.

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 33°C through the month.

A typical May day in Garissa reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13425
23425
33425
43425
53425
63425
73425
83425
93425
103425
113425
123425
133325
143324
153324
163324
173324
183324
193324
203324
213324
223324
233324
243324
253324
263324
273324
283324
293324
303324
313324

How May really feels in Garissa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Garissa weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 24°171.9123.3
Feb36° / 25°40.9122.7
Mar36° / 26°203.6122.3
Apr35° / 25°367.9122.7
May33° / 24°163.1123.9
Jun32° / 23°20.4124.6
Jul31° / 22°20.3125.1
Aug31° / 22°20.2125.0
Sep33° / 23°50.8124.4
Oct34° / 24°163.6123.6
Nov33° / 24°6711.8123.3
Dec33° / 24°427.6123.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35842
45842
55941
66040
76040
86238
96337
106436
116535
126634
136634
146733
156733
166733
176634
186634
196634
206634
216535
226535
236436
246337
256238
266040
275941
285842
295743
305545
315347

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Garissa gets around 16 mm of rain over 3.1 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 11% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
221
320
419
518
617
715
814
913
1013
1112
1211
1311
1411
1510
1610
1710
189
199
209
218
228
237
247
256
266
275
285
294
304
313

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 61% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
103763
203862
304060
404258
504357
604555
704753
805050
905248
1005446
1105743
1215841
1316039
1416237
1516435
1616633
1716831
1826830
1927028
2037027
2137126
2247224
2347323
2457421
2567420
2677419
2787517
2897516
29107614
30117613
31137611

Wind in May

Winds average 20 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1220light breeze
1320light breeze
1420light breeze
1520light breeze
1620breezy
1720breezy
1820breezy
1920breezy
2020breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

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 6:19 AM to 6:20 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 6:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:196:18
212.06:196:18
312.06:196:18
412.06:196:18
512.06:196:18
612.06:196:18
712.06:186:17
812.06:186:17
912.06:186:17
1012.06:186:17
1112.06:186:17
1212.06:186:17
1312.06:186:17
1412.06:186:17
1512.06:186:17
1612.06:186:17
1712.06:186:17
1812.06:186:17
1912.06:186:17
2012.06:186:17
2112.06:186:17
2212.06:196:17
2312.06:196:17
2412.06:196:17
2512.06:196:17
2612.06:196:18
2712.06:196:18
2812.06:196:18
2912.06:196:18
3012.06:196:18
3112.06:206:18

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.69 kWh/m² to a high of 6.75 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.35 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Garissa?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
7.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Garissa. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Garissa in May

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

In May, Garissa sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Garissa 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 Garissa peaks around March 24 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 24UV 15Jun 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Garissa?

Garissa sits at 0.5°S, 39.6°E, 147 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Hola, 122 km away.

HolaMasalaniHabasweinGarba TulaMwingiMauaKituiChuka

Topography around Garissa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Garissa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 45 m around an average of 151 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 353 m.

The land around Garissa is covered by artificial surfaces (48%) within 3 km, shrubs (60%) and grassland (25%) within 16 km, and shrubs (79%) within 80 km.

3 km
45 m
16 km
135 m
80 km
353 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwetland
May weather nearby: Hola 122 km · Masalani 150 km · Habaswein 164 km · Garba Tula 167 km · Mwingi 184 km · Maua 204 km · Kitui 208 km · Chuka 223 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 Garissa (-0.4527°, 39.646°, elevation 147 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).