Mai weather in January

In January, Mai sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 53 mm of rain across 6.7 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 8th-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 35% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mai's 2nd-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
13°
5th coldest
Rainfall
53 mm
6.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:41 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
55%
2nd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.5
out of 10

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 Mai 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 22°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)
12413
22413
32413
42413
52413
62413
72413
82413
92413
102413
112413
122513
132513
142513
152513
162513
172513
182513
192513
202513
212513
222513
232513
242513
252513
262512
272512
282512
292512
302512
312512

Mai weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 13°536.712.17.5
Feb26° / 13°395.1127.4
Mar25° / 14°718.6127.1
Apr23° / 14°11717.7125.5
May22° / 14°11518.4125.2
Jun21° / 13°5412.511.95.7
Jul20° / 12°267.711.96.1
Aug21° / 12°358.3126.3
Sep22° / 12°306.8127.0
Oct23° / 13°5411126.6
Nov23° / 13°9215.7125.7
Dec24° / 13°689.412.17.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 42%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25941
35941
45842
55842
65743
75743
85644
95644
105644
115545
125545
135644
145743
155743
165743
175842
185842
195842
205941
215941
225842
235941
245941
255941
265941
275941
285941
295941
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mai gets around 53 mm of rain over 6.7 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 21% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
222
321
421
522
622
722
823
923
1023
1123
1224
1324
1424
1524
1623
1723
1823
1923
2022
2122
2221
2320
2420
2519
2619
2718
2817
2917
3017
3116

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 73% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
168320
268320
368320
468320
569310
669310
769310
869310
969310
1070300
1170300
1271290
1371290
1472280
1573270
1672271
1773261
1874251
1974251
2075241
2175241
2276231
2377221
2477221
2578211
2679201
2779201
2880191
2980191
3080191
3180191

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 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

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

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:35 AM to 6:46 AM, and sunset from 6:38 PM to 6:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:356:38
212.16:366:39
312.16:366:39
412.16:366:40
512.16:376:40
612.16:376:41
712.16:386:41
812.16:386:41
912.16:396:42
1012.16:396:42
1112.16:396:43
1212.16:406:43
1312.16:406:43
1412.16:416:44
1512.16:416:44
1612.16:416:44
1712.16:426:45
1812.16:426:45
1912.06:426:45
2012.06:436:46
2112.06:436:46
2212.06:436:46
2312.06:446:47
2412.06:446:47
2512.06:446:47
2612.06:456:47
2712.06:456:48
2812.06:456:48
2912.06:456:48
3012.06:456:48
3112.06:466:48

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.39 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.22 kWh/m² to a high of 6.81 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 6.39 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.4Intense
176.4Intense
186.4Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Mai?

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

7.5
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 Mai for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Mai in January

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

In January, Mai 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 Mai in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mai peaks around March 15 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 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 17Jun 19UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar17Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mai 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 Mai is worst in June — around 65 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyJun 1864 µg/m³Sep 2348 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan62Unhealthy
Feb59Unhealthy
Mar56Unhealthy
Apr56Unhealthy
May57Unhealthy
Jun65Unhealthy
Jul60Unhealthy
Aug51Poor
Sep48Poor
Oct48Poor
Nov60Unhealthy
Dec64Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Mai?

Mai sits at 1.0°S, 36.6°E, 1,891 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Maai Mahiu, 1.0 km away.

Topography around Mai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mai has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 501 m around an average of 1,913 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,184 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,293 m.

The land around Mai is covered by grassland (29%), trees (22%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, grassland (37%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and grassland (33%), shrubs (27%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
501 m
16 km
1,184 m
80 km
3,293 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Maai Mahiu 1.0 km · Limuru 16 km · Githunguri 23 km · Karuri 29 km · Kikuyu 31 km · Naivasha 34 km · Kiambu 35 km · Nairobi 42 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 Mai (-0.9817°, 36.5864°, elevation 1,891 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).