Gilgil weather in May

In May, Gilgil sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 91 mm of rain across 13.3 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Gilgil's 6th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gilgil's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
7th warmest
Overnight low
13°
11th coldest
Rainfall
91 mm
13.3 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:32 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
65%
6th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.47 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month.

A typical May day in Gilgil reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12214
22214
32214
42214
52214
62214
72214
82214
92214
102214
112213
122213
132213
142213
152213
162213
172213
182213
192213
202213
212213
222213
232213
242213
252213
262213
272213
282213
292213
302213
312213

Gilgil weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 11°465.9127.5
Feb26° / 11°313.9127.5
Mar26° / 12°788.8126.9
Apr23° / 13°15216.8125.6
May22° / 13°9113.3126.1
Jun21° / 12°7012.8125.9
Jul20° / 12°5011.6125.9
Aug21° / 11°5912125.9
Sep22° / 11°5910.2126.6
Oct23° / 12°9512.3126.2
Nov22° / 13°16318.4125.2
Dec23° / 12°8510.2126.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 29% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22773
32872
42971
53070
63169
73268
83367
93466
103565
113763
123862
133862
144060
154159
164258
174456
184456
194654
204654
214753
224852
234852
244951
254951
265050
275149
285149
295050
305149
315050

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Gilgil gets around 91 mm of rain over 13.3 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 43% and peaks near 63% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
163
263
363
462
561
660
759
857
956
1053
1151
1249
1347
1444
1542
1640
1738
1836
1934
2033
2132
2231
2330
2429
2528
2628
2729
2829
2930
3031
3132

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 61% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
14060
24060
34060
44159
54159
64357
74456
84654
94852
105050
115248
125446
135644
145941
156139
166337
176535
186634
196832
207030
217228
227327
237525
247624
257723
267822
277822
287822
297921
307921
317822

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May, the windiest month of the year.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 6:32 AM to 6:33 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:326:31
212.06:326:31
312.06:326:31
412.06:326:31
512.06:326:31
612.06:326:31
712.06:326:31
812.06:326:31
912.06:326:31
1012.06:326:30
1112.06:326:30
1212.06:326:30
1312.06:326:30
1412.06:326:30
1512.06:326:30
1612.06:326:30
1712.06:326:30
1812.06:326:30
1912.06:326:30
2012.06:326:30
2112.06:326:30
2212.06:326:30
2312.06:326:31
2412.06:326:31
2512.06:326:31
2612.06:326:31
2712.06:326:31
2812.06:336:31
2912.06:336:31
3012.06:336:31
3112.06:336:31

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.47 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.71 kWh/m² to a high of 6.96 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.47 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Gilgil?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Gilgil for sightseeing.

What to pack for Gilgil in May

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

In May, Gilgil sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Gilgil in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gilgil peaks around March 16 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 16UV 17Jun 19UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar17Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Gilgil 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 Gilgil is worst in June — around 47 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorJun 2047 µg/m³Oct 936 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan43Poor
Feb41Poor
Mar42Poor
Apr39Poor
May40Poor
Jun47Poor
Jul45Poor
Aug39Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct36Poor
Nov42Poor
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Gilgil?

Gilgil sits at 0.5°S, 36.3°E, 2,009 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Naivasha, 27 km away.

Topography around Gilgil

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gilgil has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 m around an average of 1,991 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 881 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,992 m.

The land around Gilgil is covered by grassland (57%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, grassland (48%) and shrubs (20%) within 16 km, and trees (28%), grassland (28%) and cropland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
164 m
16 km
881 m
80 km
2,992 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Naivasha 27 km · Ol Kalou 27 km · Upper Gilgil 33 km · Nakuru 35 km · Njoro 46 km · Mairo Inya 60 km · Nyahururu 60 km · Mai 61 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 Gilgil (-0.504°, 36.3184°, elevation 2,009 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).