Machakos weather in January

In January, Machakos sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 50 mm of rain across 10 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Machakos's 2nd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Machakos's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
4th warmest
Overnight low
16°
5th coldest
Rainfall
50 mm
10 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:38 AM – 6:43 PM
Cloud cover
52%
2nd clearest
Wind
9 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Machakos is municipality in Machakos County, Kenya.

Founded
1887

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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Machakos reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°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)
12516
22516
32516
42516
52516
62516
72516
82516
92516
102516
112516
122516
132516
142516
152516
162616
172616
182616
192616
202616
212616
222616
232616
242616
252616
262616
272616
282616
292616
302616
312616

Machakos weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°501012.16.9
Feb27° / 16°417.9126.8
Mar27° / 17°9015.3125.9
Apr25° / 17°15122.5124.8
May24° / 16°721511.96.2
Jun23° / 15°184.711.97.2
Jul23° / 14°61.611.97.5
Aug23° / 14°91.7127.6
Sep25° / 15°71.5128.0
Oct26° / 16°418.5126.9
Nov24° / 16°15522.812.14.9
Dec24° / 16°9218.612.15.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 39%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
25941
35941
45941
55941
65941
75842
85842
95842
105743
115842
125842
135941
146040
156040
166139
176139
186238
196238
206337
216436
226436
236436
246535
256535
266634
276535
286535
296535
306436
316535

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Machakos gets around 50 mm of rain over 10 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 32% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
240
339
438
537
637
736
836
936
1035
1135
1234
1334
1434
1533
1633
1732
1832
1931
2031
2130
2229
2329
2428
2527
2627
2726
2825
2925
3024
3124

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the comfortable band about 48% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1144641
2144640
3144738
4154837
5154837
6164836
7174835
8174835
9184834
10184933
11194933
12194932
13204931
14204930
15214930
16215029
17225028
18235028
19234927
20244926
21254926
22264925
23274924
24284923
25294922
26304921
27324820
28334819
29344718
30364618
31374617

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
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 January

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:31 AM to 6:42 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:316:37
212.16:326:37
312.16:326:38
412.16:336:38
512.16:336:38
612.16:346:39
712.16:346:39
812.16:356:40
912.16:356:40
1012.16:356:40
1112.16:366:41
1212.16:366:41
1312.16:376:42
1412.16:376:42
1512.16:376:42
1612.16:386:43
1712.16:386:43
1812.16:396:43
1912.16:396:44
2012.16:396:44
2112.16:406:44
2212.16:406:44
2312.16:406:45
2412.16:416:45
2512.16:416:45
2612.16:416:45
2712.16:416:46
2812.16:426:46
2912.16:426:46
3012.16:426:46
3112.16:426:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.34 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.14 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 6.34 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.4Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Machakos?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Machakos for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Machakos in January

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

In January, Machakos sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Machakos 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 Machakos peaks around March 17 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 17UV 16Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Machakos 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 Machakos is worst in December — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 13 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateDec 2129 µg/m³Oct 913 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan28Moderate
Feb24Moderate
Mar23Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov22Moderate
Dec29Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Machakos?

Machakos sits at 1.5°S, 37.3°E, 1,619 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Kinoi, 19 km away.

Topography around Machakos

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Machakos has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 517 m around an average of 1,664 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 905 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,607 m.

The land around Machakos is covered by shrubs (32%) within 3 km, shrubs (39%), grassland (27%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and shrubs (40%) and grassland (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
517 m
16 km
905 m
80 km
1,607 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Kinoi 19 km · Mwala 28 km · Athi River 33 km · Kitengela 34 km · Mlolongo 39 km · Githunguri 39 km · Imara Daima Estate 48 km · Wote 50 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 Machakos (-1.5223°, 37.2652°, elevation 1,619 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).