Isiolo in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Isiolo sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 119 mm of rain over about 26 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 24°C in early December to 27°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Isiolo's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Isiolo's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
26°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
15°C
Rainfall
119 mm
26 wet days
Avg wind
7 km/h
Travel score
7.1
2nd-best season
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Isiolo in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 24°C in early December to 27°C by late February.

A typical winter day in Isiolo reaches about 26°C and drops to 15°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

10°15°20°25°30°DecJanFeb

Isiolo weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Isiolo gets around 119 mm of rain over 26 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 7 km/h across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 hours in early December to 12 hours by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 6.3 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Isiolo?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

7.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

winter 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 Winter

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

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

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Isiolo in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 14 (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 Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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
Winter 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.