Isiolo weather in May

In May, Isiolo sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 47 mm of rain across 7.5 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 5th-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 May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

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 Isiolo's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Isiolo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
4th warmest
Overnight low
17°
11th coldest
Rainfall
47 mm
7.5 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:25 AM – 6:26 PM
Cloud cover
46%
3rd clearest
Wind
8 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Isiolo is city.

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 26°C through the month.

A typical May day in Isiolo reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12617
22617
32617
42617
52617
62617
72617
82617
92617
102617
112617
122617
132617
142617
152617
162617
172617
182617
192617
202617
212617
222617
232617
242617
252617
262616
272616
282616
292616
302616
312616

Isiolo weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 5th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 32%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25545
35545
45743
55842
66040
76238
86436
96535
106634
116832
126931
137030
147129
157129
167228
177327
187327
197327
207327
217426
227525
237525
247525
257426
267426
277426
287426
297327
307327
317228

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Isiolo gets around 47 mm of rain over 7.5 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 25% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
342
441
539
638
736
835
933
1031
1129
1228
1326
1424
1523
1622
1720
1819
1918
2017
2117
2216
2315
2415
2514
2614
2714
2814
2914
3015
3116

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 67% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
166034
266034
366133
466232
566331
666529
766727
866925
977023
1087121
1197219
12107317
13127315
14137314
15157312
16177211
1718739
1820728
1922717
2024706
2126695
2228684
2330664
2431663
2533643
2635623
2736613
2837603
2938593
3038593
3139583

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 6:27 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:276:27
212.06:266:27
312.06:266:27
412.06:266:27
512.06:266:27
612.06:266:27
712.06:266:27
812.06:266:27
912.06:266:27
1012.06:266:26
1112.06:266:26
1212.06:266:26
1312.06:256:26
1412.06:256:26
1512.06:256:26
1612.06:256:26
1712.06:256:26
1812.06:256:26
1912.06:256:26
2012.06:266:27
2112.06:266:27
2212.06:266:27
2312.06:266:27
2412.06:266:27
2512.06:266:27
2612.06:266:27
2712.06:266:27
2812.06:266:27
2912.06:266:27
3012.06:266:27
3112.06:266:28

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.93 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 — May's 5.93 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Isiolo?

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

7.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May 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 May

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

In May, Isiolo sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Isiolo 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 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 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 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
May 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).