Kisumu weather in May

In May, Kisumu sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 206 mm of rain across 26.3 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-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 14% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Kisumu's 9th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kisumu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
9th warmest
Overnight low
18°
9th coldest
Rainfall
206 mm
26.3 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:37 AM – 6:37 PM
Cloud cover
68%
9th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Kisumu is city in Kenya.

Density
1,340/km²
people per km²
Founded
1901

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 25°C through the month.

A typical May day in Kisumu reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12519
22519
32519
42519
52519
62519
72519
82519
92519
102519
112519
122519
132519
142518
152518
162518
172518
182518
192518
202518
212518
222518
232518
242518
252518
262518
272518
282518
292518
302518
312518

Kisumu weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 18°11615.7125.8
Feb28° / 19°8813125.8
Mar27° / 19°18220.3125.0
Apr25° / 19°28127123.9
May25° / 18°20626.3124.3
Jun25° / 18°10320.7125.1
Jul25° / 18°9218.1125.6
Aug25° / 18°10019.3125.4
Sep26° / 18°10619.6125.2
Oct26° / 18°19425.5124.3
Nov25° / 18°24725.1124.2
Dec26° / 18°17920.7125.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% 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 64%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22080
32179
42179
52278
62377
72575
82674
92872
102872
113070
123268
133367
143664
153664
163763
173862
184060
194159
204258
214357
224456
234555
244753
254852
264951
275050
285050
295149
305149
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kisumu gets around 206 mm of rain over 26.3 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 85% and peaks near 93% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
193
293
392
492
592
692
791
891
991
1090
1190
1289
1389
1488
1587
1686
1785
1885
1984
2083
2182
2281
2380
2479
2578
2677
2777
2876
2976
3075
3175

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 91% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 8% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
108614
208614
308713
408713
508812
608812
708812
808911
908911
1009010
1109010
1209010
130919
140919
150928
160928
170937
181927
191936
201936
211945
221945
231954
242944
252953
262953
272953
283952
293952
304942
314942

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 6:38 AM to 6:39 AM, and sunset from 6:38 PM to 6:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:386:38
212.06:386:38
312.06:386:38
412.06:386:38
512.06:386:38
612.06:386:37
712.06:386:37
812.06:386:37
912.06:376:37
1012.06:376:37
1112.06:376:37
1212.06:376:37
1312.06:376:37
1412.06:376:37
1512.06:376:37
1612.06:376:37
1712.06:376:37
1812.06:376:37
1912.06:376:37
2012.06:376:37
2112.06:386:37
2212.06:386:37
2312.06:386:37
2412.06:386:37
2512.06:386:38
2612.06:386:38
2712.06:386:38
2812.06:386:38
2912.06:386:38
3012.06:386:38
3112.06:396:38

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.18 kWh/m² to a high of 6.8 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.6 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kisumu?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kisumu for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kisumu in May

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

In May, Kisumu sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Kisumu 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 Kisumu peaks around March 16 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 16UV 16Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Kisumu 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 Kisumu is worst in June — around 78 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyJun 2177 µg/m³Apr 967 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan74Unhealthy
Feb68Unhealthy
Mar67Unhealthy
Apr67Unhealthy
May69Unhealthy
Jun78Unhealthy
Jul76Unhealthy
Aug74Unhealthy
Sep71Unhealthy
Oct73Unhealthy
Nov77Unhealthy
Dec76Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kisumu?

Kisumu sits at 0.1°S, 34.8°E, 1,174 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Mbale, 21 km away.

Topography around Kisumu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kisumu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 60 m around an average of 1,152 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 725 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,634 m.

The land around Kisumu is covered by artificial surfaces (42%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, water (26%), trees (23%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (34%) and shrubs (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
60 m
16 km
725 m
80 km
1,634 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Mbale 21 km · Khwisero 36 km · Kakamega 43 km · Oyugis 45 km · Muhoroni 49 km · Kapsabet 51 km · Bondo 54 km · Nyamira 55 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 Kisumu (-0.1022°, 34.7617°, elevation 1,174 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).