Today's weather for Mombasa, Kenya21st Nov 2009 05:00

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Weather Overview for Mombasa

Mombasa is well known for its warm, tropical climate. The short story on Mombasa's weather is: hot and humid. As soon as you open your plane or train door, the sizzling climate will come down on you like a wet hot blanket. This makes the climate harder to bear. Even so, Mombasa's climate is a lot milder than most other countries with tropical climates.

Winter months are oddly, slightly warmer than summer and the amount of rainfall depends essentially on the time of year. This is simply because Kenya sits directly on the equator and can experience all four seasons all year round.

December to April are the hottest months, reaching an average maximum of 31°C throughout the day. It's cooler in July and August, reaching just 27°C as a high. As you can see, it's only a few degrees difference. Overall, the weather in Mombasa is very stable and doesn't change much over the course of the year.

Although the climate is in general simple to take all year long, the monsoon winds blowing across the ocean establish the seasons. The kaskazi wind is north-easterly and lasts from October to March. November is typically a month of occasional rains; heavy and light. The kusi is the more powerful and colder of the two winds, lasting from April until September. Whilst this wind is about, rain is to be expected from May until June. Even during the months of “rain,” however, there are most certainly fine days on the shoreline.

April and May are naturally the regions rainiest period, while in January to February the rainfall is minimal. The rainy season however should not be confused with being the cooler part of the year. The wettest month in Mombasa is May being the very rainiest; around twenty five days of the month will consist of damp, soggy days. The rainy season does mean regular rain, but not necessarily monsoons. There will most likely be rain most days, but more in short sudden incidence throughout afternoons. The sun is mostly likely to shine again after they bypass.

There has been a lot of recent discussion of the risks that the city of Mombasa faces from the direct and indirect impacts of climate change. Mombasa is the largest seaport and fourth largest city in East Africa, serving not only Kenya but also many landlocked countries and the north of Tanzania. The city is prone to disasters connected to climate extremes such as floods, which cause severe damage nearly every year and, often, loss of life. The floods in October 2006 were particularly serious, affecting some sixty thousand people in the city and the wider region. Tourism is an important part of the city's economy. Therefore, sandy beaches, historic and cultural monuments and several hotels, industries and prime facilities would be harmfully affected.

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