Nairobi Weather Radar & Live Rains & Drought Map

Nairobi sits high on the Kenyan plateau, almost on the equator yet famously mild — "the Green City in the Sun." Its weather isn't defined by temperature extremes but by water: the two rainy seasons that bring the region to life, the flooding that comes when they arrive in force, and the droughts that grip the wider Horn of Africa when they fail. The balance between too much rain and too little is the heart of the story here, and it's exactly what the live map helps you read.

Two rainy seasons, not one

Unlike most cities, Nairobi has two distinct wet seasons. The long rains fall roughly from March to May and are the heavier and more dependable; the short rains come around October to December. Between them lie drier stretches. This twice-yearly rhythm governs the year — for the city, for agriculture across the region, and for the rivers and reservoirs that supply water.

When the rains arrive strongly, they can overwhelm drainage and cause flooding in and around Nairobi, a recurring hazard during the wettest weeks. When they arrive weakly, or fail outright, the consequence is drought. So the rainy seasons are watched not just for daily downpours but for whether they're delivering enough — or too much.

A mild city on the equator

Nairobi's most surprising feature is how temperate it is for a city this close to the equator. The answer is altitude: at roughly 1,800 metres above sea level on the highlands, the city enjoys mild, spring-like temperatures year-round rather than relentless tropical heat. It's a clear example of how elevation, not just latitude, shapes a place's climate. That mildness means the temperature layer is rarely the headline here — the rainfall is.

Drought and the El Niño connection

The hazard that looms largest over the wider region is drought. The Horn of Africa has endured devastating multi-year droughts when successive rainy seasons fall short, threatening water supplies, crops and livestock across vast areas. These swings are strongly tied to the El Niño and La Niña cycle and related Indian Ocean patterns, which are major drivers of East African rainfall. El Niño years often bring heavier rains and flooding; other phases can suppress the rains and deepen drought.

That connection means the region's water future is partly written far out in the oceans, and watching the broader climate cycle helps anticipate whether a coming rainy season is likely to flood or to fail. It's the same dynamic — a Pacific and Indian Ocean rhythm reshaping rainfall far away — that links so much of the world's weather to the seas.

Reading it on the live map

Nairobi is fundamentally a rainfall read:

• Track the storms. Turn on Radar during the wet seasons to follow downpours and gauge where flooding is building.
• Watch the seasons deliver. Use the Precipitation layer to see whether the long and short rains are arriving in strength — the trend that decides between flood and drought.
• Note the mildness. Temperature mostly confirms the gentle highland climate rather than flagging extremes.
• Connect the cycle. The El Niño and drought-and-water guides explain how ocean cycles tilt East Africa toward wet or dry years, and how a rainfall deficit becomes a water crisis.

Radar tells you when the rains are flooding the city, and the precipitation trend tells you whether the season is over- or under-performing. In a mild highland city whose fortunes rise and fall with two rainy seasons, reading that balance is how you see which way the year is tipping.