Met: Parts of Kenya to experience cool, cloudy conditions this week

Several parts of the country are expected to experience intermittent cool, cloudy conditions over the coming week, according to the latest weather forecast from the Kenya Meteorological Department.

In its forecast for the period between June 23 and June 29, 2026, the department said the weather conditions will be experienced in parts of the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley, the Southeastern Lowlands, the Rift Valley and Northeastern Kenya.

The agency also projected rainfall in several regions, including the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley, the Rift Valley, the Coast and parts of Northeastern Kenya.

"Intermittent cool and cloudy conditions are expected in some parts of the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley, the Southeastern Lowlands, the Rift Valley and Northeastern Kenya," the department said in the forecast.

Despite the cooler conditions in some areas, temperatures are expected to remain high in other parts of the country.

The Met Department indicated that daytime maximum temperatures exceeding 30°C are likely in sections of the Coast, Northeastern and Northwestern Kenya.

Residents in parts of the Highlands East of the Rift Valley, the Central Rift Valley and areas around Mt Kilimanjaro have been advised to prepare for cold nights, with minimum temperatures expected to fall below 10°C.

The Kenya Meteorological Department has urged Kenyans to keep track of daily weather updates and take appropriate precautions, particularly in areas likely to experience rainfall or unusually low temperatures.

The latest forecast comes just days after the department warned that the country is entering a prolonged dry phase ahead of the possible development of a moderate-to-strong El Niño later in the year.

In a climate outlook released earlier this month, the department said Kenya is likely to experience largely dry and warmer-than-normal conditions during June, July and August, before potentially enhanced rainfall arrives during the October-November-December short rains season.

According to the department, there is an 80 to 82 per cent probability that El Niño conditions will persist during the June-July-August period, with the likelihood increasing to between 90 and 96 per cent towards the end of the year.

"Most models suggest the event will be at least moderate, and possibly strong," Mwangi said in the earlier statement.

The weather phenomenon is caused by unusual warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean and is known to alter rainfall patterns across many parts of the world, including East Africa.

For now, however, the dominant weather story remains dryness.

The June-July-August seasonal forecast shows near-average to below-average rainfall across the Highlands West of the Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria Basin, the Rift Valley and north-western Kenya. Much of the south-eastern lowlands and north-eastern Kenya are expected to remain generally sunny and dry.

The department is also monitoring developments in the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), another climate driver that can significantly influence Kenya's rainfall patterns.