Nairobi weather in January

In January, Nairobi sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 35 mm of rain across 6.3 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 8th-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 42% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Nairobi's 2nd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nairobi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
14°
5th coldest
Rainfall
35 mm
6.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:40 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
50%
2nd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.43 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.4
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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical January day in Nairobi reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12514
22514
32514
42614
52614
62614
72614
82614
92614
102614
112614
122614
132614
142614
152614
162614
172614
182614
192614
202614
212614
222614
232614
242614
252714
262714
272714
282714
292714
302714
312714

Nairobi weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 8th-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26337
36238
46238
56238
66139
76139
86040
96040
105941
116040
126040
136040
146040
156040
166139
176238
186238
196337
206337
216337
226337
236436
246436
256436
266337
276436
286436
296436
306436
316436

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Nairobi gets around 35 mm of rain over 6.3 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 20% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
222
322
421
521
621
722
822
922
1023
1123
1223
1323
1423
1522
1622
1722
1821
1921
2020
2120
2219
2318
2418
2517
2616
2716
2815
2915
3015
3115

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 51% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
140528
241518
342508
443508
543498
643498
744488
844488
945478
1045478
1145468
1246468
1347458
1447448
1548448
1649438
1750428
1851418
1952408
2053398
2155387
2256377
2357367
2458357
2560346
2661336
2762326
2863316
2965305
3066295
3166295

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:34 AM to 6:44 AM, and sunset from 6:38 PM to 6:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:346:38
212.16:346:39
312.16:356:39
412.16:356:39
512.16:366:40
612.16:366:40
712.16:366:41
812.16:376:41
912.16:376:41
1012.16:386:42
1112.16:386:42
1212.16:386:43
1312.16:396:43
1412.16:396:43
1512.16:406:44
1612.16:406:44
1712.16:406:44
1812.16:416:45
1912.16:416:45
2012.16:416:45
2112.16:426:46
2212.16:426:46
2312.16:426:46
2412.16:436:46
2512.16:436:47
2612.16:436:47
2712.16:436:47
2812.16:446:47
2912.16:446:47
3012.16:446:48
3112.16:446:48

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.43 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 — January's 6.43 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.4Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.4Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.6Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Nairobi

In seasonPeak

None of Nairobi's seasonal hazards are active in January. 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 January a good time to visit Nairobi?

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

7.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Nairobi for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Nairobi in January

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

In January, Nairobi sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 6 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Nairobi in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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 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
January 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).