Weather and Climate in Samburu national reserve

WEATHER AND CLIMATE IN SAMBURU NATIONAL RESERVE

Weather and Climate in Samburu national reserve : Samburu national reserve is a game reserve on the banks of the Ewaso Ng’iro river in Kenya. The reserve is 165km² in size and situated 350 kilometres from Nairobi. Samburu national reserve is found in Samburu county, county in the former rift valley province, Kenya.

Samburu National Reserve covers an area of roughly 21,000km^{2 (}8,000mi²) in northern Kenya where the Samburu, Turkana and many other tribes live, it stretches north from the Wuaso Ng’iro River to the south of Lake Turkana. Samburu National Reserve is unique wildlife conservation haven famous for an abundance of rare species of animals such as the Grevy Zebra, Somali Ostrich, Reticulated Giraffe, Gerenuk and the Beisa Oryx. The reserve is also home to a population of close to 900 elephants. The reserve has over 390 bird species both recorded in Samburu and Buffalo Springs national reserves, the reserves protect a variety of habitats, home to different bird species including arid acacia savannah, scrub and gallery forest along the Ewaso Nyiro River.

Weather And Climate Of Samburu National Reserve

Weather refers to short-term changes in the atmosphere, climate describes what the weather is like over for a long period of time in a specific area. In Samburu National Reserve region weather tells you what to wear according to the season in the year, the climate tells you what types of clothes to wear basing on either the wet or dry season in the year.

Though Kenya country lies on the equator, and has pleasant tropical climate but there are large regional climatic variations influenced by several factors including the altitude that is Kenya’s day time temperature average between 20⁰C/68⁰ F and 28⁰ C/82⁰ F, but it is warmer on the coast.

Climate Conditions

The Samburu National Reserve lies within ecological zone V-which is classified as arid and semi-arid with moisture index of 42 to 57, which indicate that evapo-transpiration is greater than available moisture. The days are extremely hot while the nights are cool. The annual mean temperatures range between18⁰ C and 30⁰ C, while the mean annual rainfall is 354mm with the peaks in November and April. The dry seasons starts with late May, and goes up to early October during when the large concentration of wildlife is found in the reserve due to availability to lush vegetation along the Ewaso Nyiro River, the main source of water to the Reserve and the near by communities.

In Samburu National Reserve during the day, Samburu’s climate is hot and dry, although it cools own the night. The day time temperature is usually in the region of 32⁰ C/90⁰F, while the average at night time is 15⁰ C/59⁰ F. It is good idea to bring warm clothing for game drives in the early morning. The rain peak in April and November, but annual rainfall is low.

Samburu National Reserve has a tropical monsoon climate with two distinct rainy periods, the summers are practically dry and the temperatures are around 30 degrees on average. The high temperatures in combination with high precipitation figures may cause high humidity figures.

Climate information of Samburu National Reserve

The data below is based on registered weather data and applies to Samburu National Reserve.

Months	Average maximum temperatures(0)	Average minimum temperature(0)	Average hours of sunshine per day	Average days with precipitation per month
January	31	16	9	8
February	32	17	9	7
March	32	18	8	9
April	31	19	8	16
May	30	18	8	8
June	30	17	8	3
July	29	16	7	5
August	29	16	7	5
September	31	17	8	4
October	32	18	8	9
November	29	18	7	18
December	30	17	8	12

Dry season, (June to September)

This time of the year is marked by hot and sunny says with almost no rainfall being recorded.

June and July-Hot and sunny conditions, afternoon temperatures are in the region of 31⁰ C/87⁰ F.

August and September-Daytime temperatures are on the rise before the rains cool things down. September’s average temperature is around 32⁰ C/90⁰ F, although it peaks much higher.

Wet season (October to May).

The wet season is defined by the ‘short rains ‘followed by the wetter ‘long rains’. The months of January and February are a dry period that separates the shorter and longer rains.

October, November and December. November is the wettest month. It rarely rains all day, but storms do occur in the afternoon. The day time temperatures are around 32⁰ C/90⁰ F, although it climbs higher before rain and falls when the shores have cleared.

January and February, dry spell that falls between the short and long rains, though it is difficult to predict the exact timing. February is the hottest month. Average temperature in the afternoon is 33⁰ C/91⁰ F, but it can get much hotter.

March, April and May. Short afternoon showers are usual during the long rains, which typically break in the late March. April is the wettest month, and driving on deteriorating roads can be challenging. The temperatures in the latter part of the day are around 32⁰ C/90⁰ F.

Best Season To Visit Samburu National Reserve.

The months of December through March and July through October are dry, making them by far the best months to visit the Samburu National Reserve that is when activities like wildlife viewing, nature walks and bird watching can be best dine during the dry season. You can also enjoy sunny, blue skies with almost no rain and the water sources are limited so the animals congregate along the Ewaso River.