Lodwar weather in May

In May, Lodwar sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 49 mm of rain across 6.7 wet days and about 12.1 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 52% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Lodwar's 7th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lodwar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
8th warmest
Overnight low
25°
9th coldest
Rainfall
49 mm
6.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:30 AM – 6:38 PM
Cloud cover
42%
7th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Lodwar is city.

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 Lodwar reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 36°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)
13425
23425
33425
43425
53425
63425
73425
83425
93425
103425
113425
123425
133425
143425
153425
163425
173425
183425
193425
203425
213425
223425
233425
243425
253425
263425
273425
283425
293425
303425
313425

How May really feels in Lodwar

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.

Lodwar 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
Jan36° / 24°121.911.82.7
Feb37° / 25°71.211.92.0
Mar36° / 26°364.5122.1
Apr35° / 25°74912.12.8
May34° / 25°496.712.13.4
Jun34° / 25°23412.23.8
Jul33° / 25°224.412.24.1
Aug34° / 25°193.512.13.9
Sep35° / 25°101.9123.3
Oct35° / 26°324.511.93.0
Nov34° / 24°605.811.93.4
Dec35° / 24°263.411.83.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25644
35743
45842
55941
66040
76238
86337
96337
106535
116634
126733
136832
146931
157030
167129
177228
187228
197327
207327
217525
227525
237624
247624
257624
267624
277822
287822
297723
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Lodwar gets around 49 mm of rain over 6.7 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 22% 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
337
437
536
635
734
832
931
1029
1128
1226
1325
1423
1522
1621
1719
1818
1916
2015
2114
2213
2312
2411
2510
2610
279
289
299
3010
3110

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 38% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 50% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
103302542
203302443
303312443
403312443
503312343
603322342
703322342
803332441
903332440
1004342438
1104352536
1205352534
1306362532
1407372630
1508372628
1609382626
17011392724
18012402721
19014402619
20015412617
21016422516
22118432514
23119442412
24121442311
25122452210
2612345229
2712445219
2812545209
2912645208
3012645198
3122744198

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 6:32 AM to 6:30 AM, and sunset from 6:38 PM to 6:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:326:38
212.16:316:38
312.16:316:38
412.16:316:38
512.16:316:38
612.16:316:38
712.16:316:38
812.16:306:38
912.16:306:38
1012.16:306:38
1112.16:306:38
1212.16:306:38
1312.16:306:38
1412.16:306:38
1512.16:306:38
1612.16:306:38
1712.16:306:38
1812.16:306:38
1912.16:306:38
2012.16:306:38
2112.26:306:39
2212.26:306:39
2312.26:306:39
2412.26:306:39
2512.26:306:39
2612.26:306:39
2712.26:306:39
2812.26:306:39
2912.26:306:40
3012.26:306:40
3112.26:306:40

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 6.02 kWh/m² to a high of 7.15 kWh/m² in September across the year — May's 6.46 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.4Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Lodwar?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Lodwar in May

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

In May, Lodwar sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Lodwar 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 Lodwar 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
Jun10Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Lodwar?

Lodwar sits at 3.1°N, 35.6°E, 500 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Kakuma, 105 km away.

KakumaMorotoKotidoMakutanoKapenguriaAbimKapchorwaKitale

Topography around Lodwar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lodwar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 162 m around an average of 506 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 457 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,916 m.

The land around Lodwar is covered by bare terrain (45%) and grassland (25%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and bare terrain (35%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (36%) and grassland (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
162 m
16 km
457 m
80 km
1,916 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Kakuma 105 km · Moroto 122 km · Kotido 163 km · Makutano 214 km · Kapenguria 216 km · Abim 218 km · Kapchorwa 230 km · Kitale 243 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 Lodwar (3.1199°, 35.5964°, elevation 500 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).