Naivasha weather in May

In May, Naivasha sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 130 mm of rain across 19.1 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of May to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Naivasha's 7th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Naivasha's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
8th warmest
Overnight low
12°
11th coldest
Rainfall
130 mm
19.1 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:31 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
69%
7th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Naivasha is city in Kenya.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month.

A typical May day in Naivasha reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12013
22013
32013
42013
52013
62013
72013
82013
92013
102013
112013
122013
132012
142012
152012
162012
172012
182012
192012
202012
212012
222012
232012
242012
252012
262012
272012
282012
292011
302011
312011

Naivasha weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 11°829126.9
Feb24° / 11°616.4127.3
Mar23° / 12°12111.8126.7
Apr21° / 13°18120.4124.8
May20° / 12°13019.1124.9
Jun19° / 11°7013.9125.2
Jul18° / 10°3610.2125.6
Aug19° / 10°5011.1125.6
Sep20° / 10°5311.1126.0
Oct21° / 11°8614.7125.6
Nov21° / 12°16120.7124.7
Dec21° / 11°11912.9126.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22476
32476
42476
52476
62575
72575
82674
92674
102971
112971
122971
133070
143268
153268
163268
173367
183466
193466
203565
213565
223565
233664
243664
253763
263763
273763
283763
293862
303763
313664

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Naivasha gets around 130 mm of rain over 19.1 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 61% and peaks near 77% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
177
277
377
476
576
675
775
874
973
1071
1170
1268
1366
1465
1563
1661
1760
1858
1956
2055
2153
2252
2350
2449
2548
2647
2747
2847
2946
3047
3147

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 59% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
13961
23862
33862
43961
53961
64060
74159
84258
94456
104654
114852
125050
135248
145545
155743
165941
176139
186337
196634
206832
217030
227228
237327
247525
257624
267723
277822
287921
297921
307921
318020

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:32 AM to 6:33 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:326:31
212.06:326:31
312.06:326:30
412.06:326:30
512.06:326:30
612.06:326:30
712.06:326:30
812.06:326:30
912.06:326:30
1012.06:326:30
1112.06:316:30
1212.06:316:30
1312.06:316:30
1412.06:316:30
1512.06:316:30
1612.06:316:30
1712.06:326:30
1812.06:326:30
1912.06:326:30
2012.06:326:30
2112.06:326:30
2212.06:326:30
2312.06:326:30
2412.06:326:30
2512.06:326:30
2612.06:326:30
2712.06:326:30
2812.06:326:30
2912.06:336:30
3012.06:336:30
3112.06:336:31

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.35 kWh/m² to a high of 6.84 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.13 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Naivasha?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
2.5
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Naivasha for sightseeing.

What to pack for Naivasha in May

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

In May, Naivasha sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 12°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Naivasha 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 Naivasha peaks around March 15 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 15UV 17Jun 19UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar17Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Naivasha 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 Naivasha is worst in June — around 65 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyJun 1864 µg/m³Sep 2348 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan62Unhealthy
Feb59Unhealthy
Mar56Unhealthy
Apr56Unhealthy
May57Unhealthy
Jun65Unhealthy
Jul60Unhealthy
Aug51Poor
Sep48Poor
Oct48Poor
Nov60Unhealthy
Dec64Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Naivasha?

Naivasha sits at 0.7°S, 36.4°E, 1,902 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Gilgil, 27 km away.

Topography around Naivasha

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Naivasha has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 196 m around an average of 1,930 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 756 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,900 m.

The land around Naivasha is covered by grassland (29%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, grassland (32%) and cropland (20%) within 16 km, and trees (30%), grassland (27%) and shrubs (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
196 m
16 km
756 m
80 km
2,900 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Gilgil 27 km · Mai 34 km · Maai Mahiu 35 km · Ol Kalou 50 km · Limuru 50 km · Githunguri 54 km · Upper Gilgil 59 km · Nakuru 60 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 Naivasha (-0.7138°, 36.4326°, elevation 1,902 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).