Nanyuki weather in May

In May, Nanyuki sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 199 mm of rain across 15.4 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 4th-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 20% 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 Nanyuki's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nanyuki's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
6th warmest
Overnight low
14°
12th coldest
Rainfall
199 mm
15.4 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:28 AM – 6:28 PM
Cloud cover
61%
6th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Nanyuki is town in Laikipia County, Kenya.

Founded
1907

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 23°C through the month.

A typical May day in Nanyuki reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 24°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)
12314
22314
32314
42314
52314
62314
72314
82314
92314
102314
112314
122314
132314
142314
152314
162314
172314
182314
192314
202314
212314
222314
232313
242313
252313
262313
272313
282313
292313
302313
312313

Nanyuki weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 12°457.5127.5
Feb25° / 12°334.9127.6
Mar25° / 13°6610.5126.8
Apr24° / 14°21819.7125.2
May23° / 14°19915.4126.0
Jun22° / 13°429126.6
Jul21° / 12°4510.2126.3
Aug21° / 12°5410.9126.3
Sep23° / 12°418.5127.0
Oct23° / 13°21918.1125.6
Nov22° / 13°20322.4124.7
Dec23° / 12°6212.8126.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 28% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
23070
33268
43367
53466
63565
73664
83961
94060
104258
114357
124555
134654
144753
154852
164951
175050
185149
195248
205347
215446
225446
235644
245743
255842
265842
275941
285941
296040
306040
315941

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Nanyuki gets around 199 mm of rain over 15.4 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 50% and peaks near 72% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
172
271
371
470
568
667
766
864
963
1061
1159
1257
1355
1453
1551
1650
1748
1846
1944
2042
2141
2239
2337
2435
2534
2633
2731
2831
2930
3029
3129

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 56% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
13664
23664
33664
43763
53763
63862
73961
84159
94258
104456
114654
124852
135050
145248
155446
165644
175842
186040
196238
206436
216634
226832
237030
247228
257327
267525
277624
287723
297723
307822
317822

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
16calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 6:29 AM to 6:29 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:296:29
212.06:296:29
312.06:296:29
412.06:296:29
512.06:286:28
612.06:286:28
712.06:286:28
812.06:286:28
912.06:286:28
1012.06:286:28
1112.06:286:28
1212.06:286:28
1312.06:286:28
1412.06:286:28
1512.06:286:28
1612.06:286:28
1712.06:286:28
1812.06:286:28
1912.06:286:28
2012.06:286:28
2112.06:286:28
2212.06:286:28
2312.06:286:28
2412.06:286:28
2512.06:286:28
2612.06:286:29
2712.06:296:29
2812.06:296:29
2912.06:296:29
3012.06:296:29
3112.06:296:29

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.01 kWh/m² to a high of 6.9 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.58 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Nanyuki?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Nanyuki for sightseeing.

What to pack for Nanyuki in May

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

In May, Nanyuki sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Nanyuki in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks 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 Nanyuki peaks around March 16 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 16UV 17Jun 19UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar17Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Nanyuki 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 Nanyuki is worst in June — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJun 2334 µg/m³Oct 1224 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan27Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar28Moderate
Apr27Moderate
May28Moderate
Jun34Moderate
Jul34Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep25Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov27Moderate
Dec28Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Nanyuki?

Nanyuki sits at 0.0°N, 37.1°E, 1,951 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Nyeri, 49 km away.

MeruIsioloChukaMairo Inya

Topography around Nanyuki

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nanyuki has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 133 m around an average of 1,946 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 896 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,231 m.

The land around Nanyuki is covered by grassland (34%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 3 km, grassland (46%), trees (21%) and shrubs (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (40%), trees (25%) and shrubs (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
133 m
16 km
896 m
80 km
4,231 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Nyeri 49 km · Tetu 52 km · Karatina 55 km · Kerugoya 61 km · Meru 65 km · Isiolo 69 km · Chuka 74 km · Mairo Inya 74 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 Nanyuki (0.0062°, 37.074°, elevation 1,951 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).