Machakos weather in May

In May, Machakos sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 72 mm of rain across 15 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of May to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Machakos's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Machakos's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
9th warmest
Overnight low
16°
9th coldest
Rainfall
72 mm
15 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:29 AM – 6:25 PM
Cloud cover
63%
7th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month.

A typical May day in Machakos reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12417
22417
32417
42417
52417
62417
72417
82416
92416
102416
112416
122416
132416
142416
152416
162416
172416
182416
192416
202416
212416
222416
232416
242416
252416
262415
272415
282415
292415
302415
312415

Machakos weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 5th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 33% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
24060
34159
44159
54258
64357
74456
84456
94555
104654
114753
124852
134852
144852
154852
164852
174951
184951
194852
204951
214951
224951
234852
244852
254951
264753
274753
284753
294555
304555
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Machakos gets around 72 mm of rain over 15 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 48% and peaks near 70% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
170
269
369
468
567
666
765
863
961
1060
1158
1256
1354
1452
1550
1648
1746
1844
1942
2040
2139
2237
2335
2434
2532
2631
2730
2829
2928
3027
3126

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 53% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1026731
2027721
3028711
4029701
5030691
6031681
7033661
8035650
9037630
10040600
11042580
12045550
13148510
14151480
15154450
16157420
17259390
18262360
19264340
20366310
21467290
22470260
23571240
24672220
25772210
26872200
27973180
281172170
291271170
301371160
311471150

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:30 AM to 6:31 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:306:27
211.96:306:26
311.96:306:26
411.96:296:26
511.96:296:26
611.96:296:26
711.96:296:26
811.96:296:26
911.96:296:26
1011.96:296:25
1111.96:296:25
1211.96:296:25
1311.96:296:25
1411.96:296:25
1511.96:296:25
1611.96:296:25
1711.96:296:25
1811.96:296:25
1911.96:296:25
2011.96:296:25
2111.96:306:25
2211.96:306:25
2311.96:306:25
2411.96:306:25
2511.96:306:25
2611.96:306:25
2711.96:306:25
2811.96:306:26
2911.96:306:26
3011.96:316:26
3111.96:316:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.15 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 — May's 5.15 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Machakos?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Machakos for sightseeing.

What to pack for Machakos in May

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

In May, Machakos sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Machakos 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 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 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 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
May 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).