Nairobi weather in August

In August, Nairobi sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 21 mm of rain across 3.9 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of August to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Nairobi's 11th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nairobi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
10th warmest
Overnight low
13°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
21 mm
3.9 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:38 AM – 6:36 PM
Cloud cover
80%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Nairobi is capital city of Kenya.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 5.9 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
6,318/km²
people per km²
Founded
1899

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month.

A typical August day in Nairobi reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 2°C cooler than September.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12213
22213
32213
42213
52213
62213
72213
82213
92213
102213
112213
122213
132213
142213
152213
162313
172313
182313
192313
202313
212313
222313
232313
242313
252313
262313
272313
282313
292313
302313
312313

Nairobi weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 14°356.312.17.4
Feb27° / 15°294.7127.3
Mar27° / 16°5710.3126.6
Apr25° / 16°11419.4125.2
May24° / 15°9216.111.95.9
Jun22° / 14°427.911.96.6
Jul22° / 13°133.211.97.1
Aug23° / 13°213.9127.1
Sep24° / 13°163.3127.8
Oct25° / 15°409.3126.8
Nov24° / 15°8317.612.15.7
Dec25° / 14°4710.212.17.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 83%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11189
21189
31189
41189
51189
61189
71288
81288
91189
101288
111288
121387
131387
141585
151684
161684
171783
181783
191981
201981
212080
222179
232179
242179
252278
262377
272377
282377
292377
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Nairobi gets around 21 mm of rain over 3.9 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 13% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
212
312
412
512
612
712
812
912
1012
1112
1212
1313
1413
1513
1613
1713
1814
1914
2014
2114
2214
2314
2414
2514
2614
2715
2815
2915
3015
3115

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 87% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
18812
28812
38812
48911
58911
68911
78911
88911
98911
108911
118911
128812
138812
148812
158812
168713
178713
188713
198713
208713
218713
228614
238614
248614
258614
268614
278614
288614
298614
308614
318614

Wind in August

Winds average 8 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 6 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:40 AM to 6:34 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 6:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:406:37
211.96:406:37
311.96:406:37
411.96:406:37
511.96:406:37
611.96:406:37
711.96:406:37
811.96:406:37
912.06:406:37
1012.06:396:36
1112.06:396:36
1212.06:396:36
1312.06:396:36
1412.06:396:36
1512.06:386:36
1612.06:386:36
1712.06:386:35
1812.06:386:35
1912.06:376:35
2012.06:376:35
2112.06:376:35
2212.06:366:34
2312.06:366:34
2412.06:366:34
2512.06:366:34
2612.06:356:33
2712.06:356:33
2812.06:356:33
2912.06:346:33
3012.06:346:32
3112.06:346:32

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4.55 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.14 kWh/m² to a high of 6.81 kWh/m² in February across the year — August's 4.55 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.4Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Nairobi

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is August a good time to visit Nairobi?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

August is one of the better times to visit Nairobi for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Nairobi in August

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

In August, Nairobi sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Nairobi in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August 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 Nairobi peaks around March 15 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 15UV 16Jun 20UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Nairobi?

Nairobi sits at 1.3°S, 36.8°E, 1,684 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Pumwani, 3.0 km away.

Topography around Nairobi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nairobi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 127 m around an average of 1,689 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 484 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,244 m.

The land around Nairobi is covered by artificial surfaces (71%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (32%), trees (31%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (37%) and shrubs (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
127 m
16 km
484 m
80 km
3,244 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Pumwani 3.0 km · Imara Daima Estate 8.0 km · Kiambu 13 km · Lang'ata 13 km · Karuri 14 km · Ongata Rongai 14 km · Kikuyu 18 km · Ngong 18 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 Nairobi (-1.2833°, 36.8167°, elevation 1,684 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).