Mbale weather in October

In October, Mbale sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 194 mm of rain across 25.5 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 4th-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 9% of the time in October, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of October to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Mbale's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
6th warmest
Overnight low
18°
8th coldest
Rainfall
194 mm
25.5 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:26 AM – 6:26 PM
Cloud cover
74%
10th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical October day in Mbale reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 7°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, October runs on par with September and on par with November.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12618
22618
32618
42618
52618
62618
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222518
232518
242518
252518
262518
272518
282518
292518
302518
312518

Mbale weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 18°11615.7125.8
Feb28° / 19°8813125.8
Mar27° / 19°18220.3125.0
Apr25° / 19°28127123.9
May25° / 18°20626.3124.3
Jun25° / 18°10320.7125.1
Jul25° / 18°9218.1125.6
Aug25° / 18°10019.3125.4
Sep26° / 18°10619.6125.2
Oct26° / 18°19425.5124.3
Nov25° / 18°24725.1124.2
Dec26° / 18°17920.7125.1

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24060
34060
43862
53862
63664
73565
83466
93367
103268
113169
123169
132971
142971
152773
162773
172575
182476
192476
202377
212377
222179
232179
242080
252080
262080
271882
281882
291882
301783
311783

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Mbale gets around 194 mm of rain over 25.5 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 82% and peaks near 87% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
176
277
377
478
579
679
779
879
980
1080
1180
1280
1380
1480
1581
1681
1781
1882
1982
2082
2183
2283
2384
2484
2585
2685
2786
2886
2986
3087
3187

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the humid band about 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
11585
21585
31486
41486
51387
61387
71288
81288
91288
101189
111189
121090
131090
141090
151090
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31892

Wind in October

Winds average 5 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:30 AM to 6:25 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:306:30
212.06:306:30
312.06:296:29
412.06:296:29
512.06:296:29
612.06:296:29
712.06:286:28
812.06:286:28
912.06:286:28
1012.06:286:27
1112.06:276:27
1212.06:276:27
1312.06:276:27
1412.06:276:27
1512.06:266:26
1612.06:266:26
1712.06:266:26
1812.06:266:26
1912.06:266:26
2012.06:266:25
2112.06:256:25
2212.06:256:25
2312.06:256:25
2412.06:256:25
2512.06:256:25
2612.06:256:25
2712.06:256:25
2812.06:256:25
2912.06:256:25
3012.06:256:25
3112.06:256:25

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.02 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.18 kWh/m² to a high of 6.8 kWh/m² in February across the year — October's 6.02 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Mbale?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Mbale for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mbale in October

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

In October, Mbale sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Mbale in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mbale peaks around March 16 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 16UV 16Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Mbale in October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Mbale is worst in June — around 78 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyJun 2177 µg/m³Apr 967 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan74Unhealthy
Feb68Unhealthy
Mar67Unhealthy
Apr67Unhealthy
May69Unhealthy
Jun78Unhealthy
Jul76Unhealthy
Aug74Unhealthy
Sep71Unhealthy
Oct73Unhealthy
Nov77Unhealthy
Dec76Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Mbale?

Mbale sits at 0.1°N, 34.7°E, 1,628 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Khwisero, 17 km away.

Topography around Mbale

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 188 m around an average of 1,580 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 650 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,573 m.

The land around Mbale is covered by trees (75%) within 3 km, trees (64%) and shrubs (27%) within 16 km, and trees (28%) and shrubs (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
188 m
16 km
650 m
80 km
1,573 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
October weather nearby: Khwisero 17 km · Kisumu 21 km · Kakamega 23 km · Mumias 38 km · Kapsabet 45 km · Siaya 48 km · Bondo 54 km · Bungoma 56 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 Mbale (0.0821°, 34.7214°, elevation 1,628 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).