Kenya Climate
Top 5 Cities: Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Eldoret
This month in numbers
Kenya experienced its 24th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 25.86°C, which is 1°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The global land temperature for April 2026 ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, at 14.96°C, an anomaly of +1.1°C. The three-month period from February to April 2026 was the 13th warmest on record for Kenya, with an average temperature of 26.71°C, an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
Kenya's February–April 2026 temperature anomaly of +1.1°C places it 175th out of 234 regions globally for the three-month period. This warming trend aligns with the country's long-term trajectory, which has seen an increase of +1.23°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The year 2025 was Kenya's warmest on record, at 26.03°C.
What’s driving change?
The current climate in Kenya is being significantly influenced by several factors. The is currently in a positive phase, which typically brings heavy rainfall to East Africa. This has contributed to the severe flooding experienced across Kenya in recent months. From late March through April 2026, Kenya has faced widespread and deadly floods, with at least 112 fatalities reported by early April and over 100 households displaced in Mombasa and Kwale counties alone by late April. These events represent 100% of the two flood events logged for Kenya over the past 12 months, indicating an unusual concentration of such occurrences. The Kenya Meteorological Department had forecasted flood risks for April, particularly in the North-eastern region, and a late-month surge in rainfall nationwide. The ongoing floods have led to significant disruption, including blocked transport routes and damaged infrastructure, and have raised concerns about waterborne diseases. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a weekly Niño 3.4 SST anomaly of +0.9°C.
Looking ahead
The NOAA CPC forecast indicates a 61% chance of El Niño developing by May–July 2026, increasing to 87% by July–September 2026, which typically brings wetter conditions to East Africa during the "short rains" season.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Kenya
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Kenya changing?
Kenya is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Kenya come from?
Climate data for Kenya comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Kenya climate data cover?
The Kenya climate profile covers Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Kenya
How often is the Kenya climate update refreshed?
The Kenya climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.