Mombasa in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Mombasa sees average daytime highs around 30°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 75 mm of rain over about 19 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 30°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Summer is Mombasa's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. Mombasa has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Mombasa's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 30°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 26°C
- Rainfall
- 75 mm
- 19 wet days
- Avg wind
- 15 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.3
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Mombasa in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 30°C.
A typical summer day in Mombasa reaches about 30°C and drops to 26°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How summer really feels in Mombasa
Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 90 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in summer is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Mombasa weather by month
How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30° / 26° | 18 | 3.5 | 12.2 | 5.6 |
| Feb | 31° / 26° | 11 | 2.4 | 12.1 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 31° / 26° | 49 | 12.4 | 12 | 4.4 |
| Apr | 30° / 26° | 136 | 24.4 | 11.9 | 3.5 |
| May | 28° / 25° | 223 | 24.1 | 11.8 | 4.3 |
| Jun | 27° / 24° | 92 | 20.5 | 11.8 | 5.0 |
| Jul | 26° / 23° | 69 | 19.8 | 11.8 | 5.2 |
| Aug | 27° / 23° | 49 | 17.2 | 11.9 | 5.7 |
| Sep | 27° / 23° | 43 | 14.8 | 12 | 6.1 |
| Oct | 28° / 24° | 75 | 14.9 | 12.1 | 5.5 |
| Nov | 29° / 25° | 66 | 16.1 | 12.2 | 4.8 |
| Dec | 30° / 25° | 46 | 13 | 12.2 | 4.9 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Mombasa gets around 75 mm of rain over 19 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 15 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min in early December to 12 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 6.4 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Mombasa
In summer, Mombasa overlaps 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.
Is summer a good time to visit Mombasa?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer 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 Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Mombasa sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 19 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Mombasa in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 28°C across summer — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | Warm |
| Feb | 28 | Warm |
| Mar | 29 | Tropical |
| Apr | 29 | Tropical |
| May | 28 | Warm |
| Jun | 27 | Warm |
| Jul | 26 | Warm |
| Aug | 25 | Warm |
| Sep | 26 | Warm |
| Oct | 27 | Warm |
| Nov | 28 | Warm |
| Dec | 28 | Tropical |
UV index in Mombasa in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 13 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Extreme |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 15 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 12 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
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.
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
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.