Iten weather in May

In May, Iten sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 115 mm of rain across 11.4 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 Iten's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Iten's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
6th warmest
Overnight low
15°
11th coldest
Rainfall
115 mm
11.4 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:33 AM – 6:35 PM
Cloud cover
61%
6th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical May day in Iten reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12515
22515
32515
42515
52515
62515
72515
82515
92415
102415
112415
122415
132415
142515
152515
162515
172515
182515
192515
202515
212515
222515
232515
242515
252515
262515
272415
282415
292415
302415
312415

Iten weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 14°434.2127.7
Feb27° / 14°423.5127.5
Mar27° / 15°545.3127.3
Apr26° / 15°8610.1126.5
May25° / 15°11511.4126.6
Jun23° / 14°20218.5125.4
Jul22° / 13°25925.8124.2
Aug22° / 13°29725.9124.2
Sep23° / 13°16013.8126.2
Oct24° / 14°7210.2126.9
Nov24° / 14°488.9127.0
Dec25° / 14°344.6127.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
23169
33268
43268
53268
63466
73565
83664
93961
103961
114159
124258
134357
144456
154654
164852
174951
185050
195149
205248
215248
225347
235446
245446
255446
265446
275446
285446
295347
305248
315149

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Iten gets around 115 mm of rain over 11.4 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 38% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
150
250
350
450
550
649
748
847
945
1044
1143
1241
1340
1438
1537
1635
1734
1832
1931
2030
2130
2229
2329
2429
2529
2629
2730
2831
2933
3035
3137

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 48% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
140546
239556
339547
438557
538557
638557
739547
839547
940537
1041527
1143507
1244506
1345496
1447485
1548475
1649465
1751454
1852444
1953434
2055423
2155423
2256413
2357403
2458402
2558402
2658402
2757412
2857412
2955423
3054433
3153443

Wind in May

Winds average 5 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 6:34 AM to 6:34 AM, and sunset from 6:36 PM to 6:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:346:36
212.06:346:36
312.06:346:36
412.06:346:36
512.06:346:35
612.06:346:35
712.06:346:35
812.06:346:35
912.06:346:35
1012.06:346:35
1112.06:336:35
1212.06:336:35
1312.06:336:35
1412.06:336:35
1512.06:336:35
1612.06:336:35
1712.06:336:35
1812.06:336:35
1912.06:336:35
2012.06:336:35
2112.06:336:35
2212.06:336:35
2312.06:346:35
2412.06:346:36
2512.06:346:36
2612.06:346:36
2712.06:346:36
2812.06:346:36
2912.06:346:36
3012.06:346:36
3112.06:346:36

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.79 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.05 kWh/m² to a high of 6.94 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.79 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Iten

In seasonPeak

None of Iten's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Iten's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Iten?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Iten for sightseeing.

What to pack for Iten in May

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

In May, Iten sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Iten 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 Iten peaks around March 15 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 15UV 16Jun 19UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar17Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Iten 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 Iten is worst in June — around 64 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyPoorJun 1963 µg/m³Mar 1140 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan45Poor
Feb41Poor
Mar40Poor
Apr45Poor
May54Poor
Jun64Unhealthy
Jul60Unhealthy
Aug56Unhealthy
Sep57Unhealthy
Oct50Poor
Nov45Poor
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Iten?

Iten sits at 0.7°N, 35.5°E, 2,355 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Eldoret, 31 km away.

KitaleKapsabetKimininiEldama RavineKapenguria

Topography around Iten

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Iten has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 471 m around an average of 2,247 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,479 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,750 m.

The land around Iten is covered by cropland (40%) and trees (29%) within 3 km, cropland (35%) and trees (31%) within 16 km, and trees (36%), shrubs (28%) and cropland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
471 m
16 km
1,479 m
80 km
2,750 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Eldoret 31 km · Kabarnet 33 km · Moi‘s Bridge 48 km · Kitale 68 km · Kapsabet 69 km · Kiminini 69 km · Eldama Ravine 73 km · Kapenguria 77 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 Iten (0.6703°, 35.5081°, elevation 2,355 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).