Kitale weather in January

In January, Kitale sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 52 mm of rain across 7.3 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-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 36% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of January to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kitale's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kitale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
13°
4th coldest
Rainfall
52 mm
7.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:51 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
53%
2nd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
6.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.4
out of 10

Kitale is city.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical January day in Kitale reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12513
22513
32513
42513
52513
62513
72513
82513
92513
102513
112513
122513
132513
142513
152513
162513
172513
182513
192513
202513
212513
222513
232513
242513
252513
262513
272513
282513
292513
302513
312513

Kitale weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 13°527.311.97.4
Feb26° / 13°486.6127.2
Mar26° / 14°9512.6126.4
Apr24° / 14°18920.7125.0
May23° / 14°22023.9124.6
Jun22° / 13°19922.212.14.7
Jul21° / 13°17221.812.14.6
Aug21° / 12°22423.7124.5
Sep22° / 13°17418.6125.4
Oct23° / 13°15820.5125.1
Nov23° / 14°14119.5125.2
Dec24° / 13°7110.811.96.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25941
35941
45941
55842
65842
75842
85842
95743
105743
115743
125743
135743
145743
155842
165842
175842
185842
195941
205941
216139
226139
236139
246139
256139
266238
276238
286238
296238
306139
316238

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kitale gets around 52 mm of rain over 7.3 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 24% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
224
323
423
523
623
723
823
924
1024
1124
1225
1325
1425
1525
1625
1725
1825
1925
2025
2124
2224
2324
2423
2523
2623
2722
2822
2922
3022
3122

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
18713
28812
38812
48911
58911
69010
79010
8919
9919
10919
11919
12919
13919
14919
15919
169010
179010
189010
199010
209010
219010
229010
239010
249010
259010
269010
27919
28919
29919
30919
31919

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of January to 12 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:45 AM to 6:55 AM, and sunset from 6:41 PM to 6:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:456:41
211.96:456:42
311.96:466:42
411.96:466:43
511.96:476:43
611.96:476:44
711.96:476:44
811.96:486:45
911.96:486:45
1011.96:496:45
1111.96:496:46
1211.96:496:46
1311.96:506:47
1411.96:506:47
1511.96:516:47
1611.96:516:48
1711.96:516:48
1811.96:516:48
1911.96:526:49
2011.96:526:49
2111.96:526:49
2212.06:536:50
2312.06:536:50
2412.06:536:50
2512.06:536:51
2612.06:546:51
2712.06:546:51
2812.06:546:51
2912.06:546:52
3012.06:546:52
3112.06:556:52

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.03 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.51 kWh/m² to a high of 6.49 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 6.03 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Kitale?

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

7.4
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Kitale for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Kitale in January

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

In January, Kitale sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 13°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 7 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Kitale in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kitale peaks around March 15 at about 16 (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 16Jun 18UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar17Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Kitale in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Kitale 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 Kitale?

Kitale sits at 1.0°N, 35.0°E, 1,900 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Kiminini, 16 km away.

Iten

Topography around Kitale

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kitale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 113 m around an average of 1,868 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 333 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,396 m.

The land around Kitale is covered by trees (46%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, cropland (48%) and trees (27%) within 16 km, and cropland (32%), trees (27%) and shrubs (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
113 m
16 km
333 m
80 km
3,396 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Kiminini 16 km · Moi‘s Bridge 21 km · Kapenguria 27 km · Makutano 29 km · Kimilili 41 km · Webuye 53 km · Eldoret 62 km · Iten 68 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 Kitale (1.0157°, 35.0062°, elevation 1,900 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).