Rainfall is expected to persist across several parts of the country over the next seven days, with the Kenya Meteorological Department warning of a mix of showers, thunderstorms and sunny intervals in multiple regions.
In a forecast covering April 7 to 13, acting director Edward Muriuki said the rains will mainly affect the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley, the South Rift Valley, Southeastern lowlands, Coast and Northeastern Kenya.
Western Kenya and areas around the Lake Victoria Basin are expected to experience morning rains in a few places, followed by afternoon and night showers and thunderstorms.
Counties including Kisumu, Kakamega, Bungoma, Siaya and Homabay fall within this zone.
Similar conditions are forecast in the Rift Valley, where counties such as Nakuru, Uasin-Gishu, Narok and Baringo will see intermittent rainfall, particularly later in the day.
In the Highlands East of the Rift Valley, which includes Nairobi, Nyeri, Murang’a and Kiambu, mornings are likely to start off cloudy with occasional rains before giving way to sunny intervals. However, showers are expected to return in the afternoon and at night.
The Met Department further projects that Northeastern Kenya — covering Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Isiolo — will receive morning rains alongside afternoon and night showers during the first half of the forecast period.
Coastal counties of Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale and Lamu, as well as the Tana Delta, are expected to experience showers at different times of the day, while the Southeastern lowlands, including Machakos, Kitui, Makueni and Kajiado, will see largely sunny days punctuated by occasional rainfall.
In contrast, Northwestern counties such as Turkana and Samburu will remain largely sunny, with partly cloudy nights, although isolated morning and night showers may occur in northern Turkana.
“Rainfall is expected to continue in some parts of the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley, the South Rift Valley, the Southeastern Lowlands, the Coast and Northeastern Kenya,” Muriuki said.
Temperatures are projected to remain high in lowland areas, with daytime highs exceeding 30°C in the Coast, Northeastern, Northwestern and Southeastern regions.
Meanwhile, colder nights are expected in high-altitude areas, with temperatures dropping below 10°C in parts of the Central Highlands, Central Rift Valley and around Mt Kilimanjaro.
A review of the previous week indicates shifting weather patterns, with rainfall amounts declining across the country compared to the preceding week.
The highest cumulative rainfall of 109.9mm was recorded in Kisumu, while Kericho registered the highest 24-hour rainfall of 63.4mm on April 5.
Temperature trends showed a general increase in daytime highs across most regions, although some stations in Northeastern Kenya recorded slight decreases.
Mandera recorded the highest maximum temperature at 37.6°C, while Nyahururu experienced the lowest minimum at 6.6°C.
The department noted that night-time temperatures rose in several stations including Lodwar, Garissa and Meru, while falling in others such as Nyeri and Narok, underscoring the variability of conditions across the country.
