Isiolo weather in January

In January, Isiolo sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 41 mm of rain across 8.2 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of January to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Isiolo's 4th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Isiolo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
7th warmest
Overnight low
15°
1st coldest
Rainfall
41 mm
8.2 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:40 AM – 6:38 PM
Cloud cover
47%
4th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Isiolo is city.

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Isiolo reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12515
22515
32515
42515
52515
62515
72515
82515
92515
102515
112515
122515
132615
142615
152615
162615
172615
182615
192615
202615
212615
222615
232615
242615
252615
262615
272615
282615
292615
302615
312615

Isiolo weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 15°418.2127.3
Feb27° / 15°234.9127.4
Mar27° / 16°438.6126.9
Apr27° / 17°7611.3126.4
May26° / 17°477.5127.2
Jun25° / 16°285.6127.5
Jul24° / 15°387.8127.3
Aug25° / 15°409.1127.1
Sep26° / 16°275.7127.6
Oct26° / 16°5310126.8
Nov24° / 16°9919.8125.5
Dec25° / 15°5513.3126.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26931
36832
46832
56832
66733
76634
86634
96535
106535
116436
126436
136436
146535
156535
166634
176634
186634
196634
206832
216832
226931
236931
246931
257030
267030
277030
287030
297030
307030
317030

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Isiolo gets around 41 mm of rain over 8.2 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 26% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
230
330
430
530
630
730
830
930
1030
1130
1229
1329
1428
1528
1627
1727
1826
1926
2025
2125
2224
2323
2422
2522
2621
2720
2820
2919
3019
3118

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 56% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
146495
247485
348475
449465
550455
650455
751445
851445
951436
1051436
1151436
1252426
1352426
1453416
1553416
1654406
1755396
1855396
1956386
2058375
2159365
2260355
2361345
2462335
2563325
2664315
2766304
2867294
2967294
3068284
3169274

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:33 AM to 6:43 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 6:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:336:32
212.06:346:33
312.06:346:33
412.06:356:34
512.06:356:34
612.06:366:34
712.06:366:35
812.06:366:35
912.06:376:36
1012.06:376:36
1112.06:386:37
1212.06:386:37
1312.06:386:37
1412.06:396:38
1512.06:396:38
1612.06:406:38
1712.06:406:39
1812.06:406:39
1912.06:416:39
2012.06:416:40
2112.06:416:40
2212.06:416:40
2312.06:426:41
2412.06:426:41
2512.06:426:41
2612.06:426:41
2712.06:436:42
2812.06:436:42
2912.06:436:42
3012.06:436:42
3112.06:436:43

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.33 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.36 kWh/m² to a high of 6.82 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 6.33 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.4Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Isiolo?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Isiolo for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Isiolo in January

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

In January, Isiolo sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Isiolo in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Isiolo peaks around March 17 at about 16 (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 17UV 16Jun 19UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Isiolo in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Isiolo is worst in February — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (September, 19 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateFeb 1832 µg/m³Sep 1819 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb32Moderate
Mar31Moderate
Apr28Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct20Moderate
Nov29Moderate
Dec32Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Isiolo?

Isiolo sits at 0.4°N, 37.6°E, 1,095 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Meru, 35 km away.

NanyukiChukaEmbuKerugoyaGarba TulaKaratina

Topography around Isiolo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Isiolo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 146 m around an average of 1,107 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 833 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,636 m.

The land around Isiolo is covered by grassland (39%), artificial surfaces (25%) and shrubs (24%) within 3 km, grassland (42%) and shrubs (39%) within 16 km, and shrubs (40%) and grassland (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
146 m
16 km
833 m
80 km
4,636 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Meru 35 km · Maua 42 km · Nanyuki 69 km · Chuka 77 km · Embu 100 km · Kerugoya 101 km · Garba Tula 106 km · Karatina 106 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 Isiolo (0.3546°, 37.5822°, elevation 1,095 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).