Mwala weather in May

In May, Mwala sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 40 mm of rain across 10.5 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 6th-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 16% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of May to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Mwala's 7th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mwala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
9th warmest
Overnight low
18°
8th coldest
Rainfall
40 mm
10.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:28 AM – 6:25 PM
Cloud cover
61%
7th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical May day in Mwala reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 8°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, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

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
192617
202617
212617
222617
232617
242617
252617
262617
272617
282617
292617
302617
312517

Mwala weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 17°409.312.16.8
Feb29° / 18°246.4126.1
Mar28° / 19°7014.3125.4
Apr27° / 19°10920.5124.9
May26° / 18°4010.511.96.6
Jun25° / 16°61.511.97.7
Jul24° / 15°20.411.97.9
Aug25° / 16°30.8127.8
Sep27° / 16°30.7127.8
Oct28° / 18°338126.7
Nov26° / 18°15522.212.14.8
Dec26° / 17°8017.612.15.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 34% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24555
34654
44654
54852
64753
74852
84951
94951
105149
115149
125248
135248
145248
155248
165347
175248
185248
195347
205347
215248
225248
235248
245248
255050
265050
274852
284753
294753
304555
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mwala gets around 40 mm of rain over 10.5 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 34% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
159
258
357
455
554
652
750
849
947
1044
1142
1240
1338
1436
1534
1633
1731
1829
1927
2025
2123
2222
2320
2419
2518
2617
2716
2815
2915
3014
3113

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 65% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1078112
2078211
3088111
4088210
5098110
609829
7010819
8012808
9013807
10015787
11017776
12019756
13022735
14024724
15026704
16029683
17031663
18034642
19136612
20138601
21141571
22143551
23146530
24248500
25250480
26351460
27353440
28454420
29456400
30557380
31559360

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 hours at the start of May to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:29 AM to 6:30 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:296:26
212.06:296:26
312.06:296:26
412.06:296:26
511.96:286:25
611.96:286:25
711.96:286:25
811.96:286:25
911.96:286:25
1011.96:286:25
1111.96:286:25
1211.96:286:25
1311.96:286:25
1411.96:286:25
1511.96:286:25
1611.96:286:25
1711.96:286:25
1811.96:286:25
1911.96:286:25
2011.96:286:25
2111.96:296:25
2211.96:296:25
2311.96:296:25
2411.96:296:25
2511.96:296:25
2611.96:296:25
2711.96:296:25
2811.96:296:25
2911.96:296:25
3011.96:306:25
3111.96:306:25

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.21 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.71 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.21 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mwala

In seasonPeak

None of Mwala's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

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

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

Is May a good time to visit Mwala?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mwala in May

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

In May, Mwala sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mwala 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 Mwala peaks around March 16 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 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 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mwala 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 Mwala 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 Mwala?

Mwala sits at 1.4°S, 37.5°E, 1,256 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Machakos, 28 km away.

Topography around Mwala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mwala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 140 m around an average of 1,247 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 806 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,520 m.

The land around Mwala is covered by cropland (50%) and shrubs (27%) within 3 km, shrubs (41%) and cropland (34%) within 16 km, and shrubs (42%), grassland (25%) and cropland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
140 m
16 km
806 m
80 km
1,520 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Machakos 28 km · Kinoi 35 km · Wote 51 km · Githunguri 52 km · Makueni Boma 54 km · Athi River 54 km · Thika 56 km · Juja 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 Mwala (-1.3525°, 37.4548°, elevation 1,256 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).