Kakuma weather in May

In May, Kakuma sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 52 mm of rain across 8.5 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kakuma's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kakuma's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
8th warmest
Overnight low
24°
9th coldest
Rainfall
52 mm
8.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:32 AM – 6:42 PM
Cloud cover
49%
9th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.17 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
out of 10

Kakuma is human settlement and refugee camp.

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 34°C through the month.

A typical May day in Kakuma reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 37°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13424
23424
33424
43424
53424
63424
73424
83424
93424
103424
113424
123424
133424
143424
153424
163424
173424
183424
193424
203424
213424
223424
233424
243424
253424
263424
273424
283424
293424
303424
313424

How May really feels in Kakuma

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Kakuma weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 22°162.611.82.8
Feb37° / 23°71.711.92.1
Mar36° / 24°386.2122.2
Apr34° / 24°649.712.12.8
May34° / 24°528.512.23.2
Jun33° / 24°436.412.23.7
Jul33° / 23°407.212.24.1
Aug33° / 23°346.112.13.9
Sep35° / 24°244123.3
Oct34° / 24°486.611.93.1
Nov33° / 23°577.311.83.5
Dec34° / 22°274.111.83.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 38%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
25050
35050
45149
55248
65248
75446
85545
95644
105644
115842
125941
136040
146238
156238
166436
176436
186535
196733
206733
216832
226931
237030
247129
257129
267228
277228
287228
297327
307228
317228

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kakuma gets around 52 mm of rain over 8.5 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 27% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
238
338
438
537
637
737
836
935
1034
1133
1232
1331
1430
1529
1628
1727
1826
1925
2023
2122
2220
2319
2418
2517
2617
2716
2816
2916
3016
3116

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 30% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 47% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1010273627
2010273628
3010263528
4010263528
5010263528
6010273528
7011273528
8011273427
9012273427
10113273326
11114283325
12115283324
13116283223
14118283221
15219283120
16221283118
17222283017
18324283016
19325282914
20327292813
21428292712
22430292611
23531302510
2453330249
2553430238
2653530237
2763629227
2863729226
2963729226
3063828226
3163828226

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:34 AM to 6:32 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 6:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:346:42
212.16:346:42
312.16:336:42
412.16:336:42
512.16:336:41
612.16:336:41
712.16:336:41
812.16:336:41
912.26:326:42
1012.26:326:42
1112.26:326:42
1212.26:326:42
1312.26:326:42
1412.26:326:42
1512.26:326:42
1612.26:326:42
1712.26:326:42
1812.26:326:42
1912.26:326:42
2012.26:326:42
2112.26:326:42
2212.26:326:42
2312.26:326:43
2412.26:326:43
2512.26:326:43
2612.26:326:43
2712.26:326:43
2812.26:326:43
2912.26:326:44
3012.26:326:44
3112.26:326:44

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.17 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.7 kWh/m² to a high of 6.86 kWh/m² in September across the year — May's 6.17 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
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kakuma?

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

3.2
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kakuma. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Kakuma in May

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

In May, Kakuma sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Kakuma 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 Kakuma peaks around March 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 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 15Jun 18UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Kakuma 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 Kakuma is worst in January — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJan 2016 µg/m³Oct 158 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar11Good
Apr8Good
May9Good
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep9Good
Oct8Good
Nov10Good
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kakuma?

Kakuma sits at 3.7°N, 34.9°E, 603 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Lodwar, 105 km away.

LodwarKotidoMorotoAbimKapchorwaSoroti

Topography around Kakuma

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kakuma has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 61 m around an average of 601 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 657 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,802 m.

The land around Kakuma is covered by grassland (56%) within 3 km, grassland (76%) within 16 km, and grassland (56%) and shrubs (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
61 m
16 km
657 m
80 km
1,802 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Lodwar 105 km · Kotido 114 km · Moroto 133 km · Abim 173 km · Kitgum 224 km · Kapchorwa 261 km · Soroti 262 km · Pajok 264 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 Kakuma (3.7136°, 34.8572°, elevation 603 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).