Mombasa weather in March

In March, Mombasa sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 49 mm of rain across 12.4 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of March to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Mombasa's 6th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mombasa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
1st warmest
Overnight low
26°
12th coldest
Rainfall
49 mm
12.4 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:30 AM – 6:32 PM
Cloud cover
48%
6th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
6.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Mombasa is city in Kenya.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
4,100/km²
people per km²
Founded
1593

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month.

A typical March day in Mombasa reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and about 1°C warmer than April.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13126
23126
33126
43126
53126
63126
73126
83126
93126
103126
113126
123126
133126
143126
153126
163126
173126
183126
193126
203126
213126
223126
233126
243126
253126
263126
273126
283126
293126
303126
313026

How March really feels in Mombasa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March 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 March is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Mombasa weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 1st-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 26°183.512.25.6
Feb31° / 26°112.412.15.5
Mar31° / 26°4912.4124.4
Apr30° / 26°13624.411.93.5
May28° / 25°22324.111.84.3
Jun27° / 24°9220.511.85.0
Jul26° / 23°6919.811.85.2
Aug27° / 23°4917.211.95.7
Sep27° / 23°4314.8126.1
Oct28° / 24°7514.912.15.5
Nov29° / 25°6616.112.24.8
Dec30° / 25°461312.24.9

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27129
37030
47030
57030
66931
76931
86931
96931
106931
116931
127129
137129
147129
157228
167129
177228
187228
197129
207129
217129
226931
236931
246931
256832
266733
276634
286634
296436
306436
316337

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Mombasa gets around 49 mm of rain over 12.4 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 40% and peaks near 69% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
117
218
320
421
522
623
725
826
927
1028
1130
1231
1332
1434
1536
1637
1739
1841
1944
2046
2148
2250
2352
2455
2557
2659
2762
2864
2966
3068
3169

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the oppressive band about 62% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
18119
28020
37921
47822
57723
67624
77525
87426
97327
107129
117030
126832
136733
146535
156436
166238
176040
185941
195743
205545
215446
225248
235149
244951
254852
264753
274654
284555
294555
304555
314555

Wind in March

Winds average 13 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

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

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:32 AM to 6:27 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 6:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:326:37
212.16:326:37
312.16:326:36
412.16:326:36
512.16:326:36
612.16:326:36
712.16:326:35
812.16:316:35
912.16:316:35
1012.16:316:34
1112.06:316:34
1212.06:316:33
1312.06:316:33
1412.06:316:33
1512.06:306:32
1612.06:306:32
1712.06:306:31
1812.06:306:31
1912.06:306:31
2012.06:296:30
2112.06:296:30
2212.06:296:29
2312.06:296:29
2412.06:296:28
2512.06:286:28
2612.06:286:28
2712.06:286:27
2812.06:286:27
2912.06:286:26
3012.06:276:26
3112.06:276:25

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.67 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in February across the year — March's 6.28 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
136.4Intense
146.4Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Mombasa

In seasonPeak

In March, Mombasa sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Mombasa sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Mombasa's rainy season runs April–May, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is March a good time to visit Mombasa?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mombasa in March

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

In March, Mombasa sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Mombasa in March

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in April at about 29°C and coldest in August near 25°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Warm
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Mombasa in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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 Mombasa peaks around March 19 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeMar 19UV 15Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Mombasa?

Mombasa sits at 4.1°S, 39.7°E, 20 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Jomvu, 10 km away.

Topography around Mombasa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mombasa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 264 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 800 m.

The land around Mombasa is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and water (35%) within 3 km, water (41%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and water (36%), grassland (24%) and shrubs (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
31 m
16 km
264 m
80 km
800 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
March weather nearby: Jomvu 10 km · Mtwapa 16 km · Mazeras 16 km · Matuga 16 km · Diani Beach 26 km · Ukunda 29 km · Mariakani 30 km · Kilifi 51 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 Mombasa (-4.0547°, 39.6636°, elevation 20 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).