Lamu in Summer

In summer (December, January and February), Lamu sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 41 mm of rain over about 9 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Summer is Lamu's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Lamu has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Lamu's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
28°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
26°C
Rainfall
41 mm
9 wet days
Avg wind
20 km/h
Travel score
7.3
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Lamu in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C.

A typical summer day in Lamu reaches about 28°C and drops to 26°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

24°26°28°30°32°DecJanFeb

How summer really feels in Lamu

Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 20 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
20
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Lamu weather by month

How the three summer 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
Jan28° / 26°121.412.17.7
Feb28° / 26°20.412.17.7
Mar29° / 27°174.9126.6
Apr29° / 27°11620.9124.4
May28° / 26°22624.111.94.5
Jun27° / 25°8417.811.95.4
Jul26° / 24°5714.911.95.9
Aug26° / 24°3612.211.96.6
Sep26° / 25°3410.3127.0
Oct27° / 25°6512.812.16.4
Nov28° / 26°581312.16.1
Dec28° / 26°286.712.16.6

Cloud cover in Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Lamu gets around 41 mm of rain over 9 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Summer

Winds average 20 km/h across summer.

0510152025DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min 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 Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

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

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in summer

Hazard calendar for Lamu

In seasonPeak

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

Lamu's monsoon runs April–May, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is summer a good time to visit Lamu?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.4
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Lamu in Summer

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

In summer, Lamu sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 9 days see rain.

light clothessun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Lamu in Summer

The nearest coast averages about 27°C across summer — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in April at about 29°C and coldest in August near 25°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar28Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Warm
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec28Warm

UV index in Lamu in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages 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 Lamu peaks around March 22 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeMar 22UV 15Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Lamu in Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Lamu is worst in January — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodJan 1917 µg/m³Oct 246 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar12Moderate
Apr6Good
May9Good
Jun11Good
Jul11Good
Aug9Good
Sep8Good
Oct6Good
Nov6Good
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lamu?

Lamu sits at 2.3°S, 40.9°E, 14 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Masalani, 104 km away.

MasalaniKaambooniHolaMalindiWatamuKilifiMtwapaMariakani

Topography around Lamu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lamu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 51 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 72 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 143 m.

The land around Lamu is covered by grassland (31%), water (27%) and shrubs (24%) within 3 km, water (52%) within 16 km, and water (38%) and trees (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
51 m
16 km
72 m
80 km
143 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
Summer weather nearby: Masalani 104 km · Kaambooni 104 km · Hola 130 km · Malindi 137 km · Watamu 155 km · Kilifi 191 km · Mtwapa 225 km · Mariakani 238 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 Lamu (-2.2717°, 40.902°, elevation 14 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.