Zapala weather in May

In May, Zapala sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 45 mm of precipitation across 6.9 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 10°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 24 min at the start of May to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Zapala's 11th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zapala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
9th warmest
Overnight low
5th coldest
Precipitation
45 mm
6.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
8:40 AM – 6:33 PM
Cloud cover
56%
11th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
2.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Zapala is city in Argentina.

Density
70/km²
people per km²
Founded
1913

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 10°C by the end.

A typical May day in Zapala reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C cooler than April and about 4°C warmer than June.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1153
2153
3153
4143
5143
6143
7143
8143
9143
10133
11132
12132
13132
14132
15122
16122
17122
18122
19122
20111
21111
22111
23111
24111
25111
26101
27101
28101
29101
30100
31100

How May really feels in Zapala

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 24 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
24
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Zapala weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 11°112.3014.48.2
Feb26° / 11°143013.58.3
Mar23° / 203012.38.3
Apr17° / 324.60116.5
May12° / 456.90.79.93.6
Jun / -1°598.82.29.31.5
Jul / -2°446.92.79.61.4
Aug10° / -1°336.11.610.52.6
Sep14° / 244.7111.74.5
Oct18° / 3250.6136.6
Nov22° / 193.10.114.18.1
Dec25° / 142.6014.78.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25545
35446
45347
55347
65248
75248
85149
95149
105050
115050
124951
134951
144951
154951
164852
174654
184654
194753
204753
214753
224753
234951
244951
254951
264951
275050
285050
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Zapala gets around 45 mm of rain and snow over 6.9 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 22% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1181
2181
3181
4181
5191
6191
7191
8201
9201
10211
11211
12211
13221
14221
15221
16221
17231
18232
19232
20232
21243
22243
23243
24243
25244
26244
27244
28244
29254
30254
31265

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 24 min at the start of May to 9 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 8:26 AM to 8:53 AM, and sunset from 6:49 PM to 6:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.48:266:49
210.48:276:48
310.38:286:47
410.38:296:46
510.28:306:44
610.28:316:43
710.28:316:42
810.18:326:41
910.18:336:40
1010.18:346:39
1110.08:356:38
1210.08:366:37
1310.08:376:36
149.98:386:35
159.98:396:34
169.98:406:33
179.98:416:32
189.88:426:31
199.88:436:30
209.88:446:30
219.78:446:29
229.78:456:28
239.78:466:27
249.78:476:27
259.68:486:26
269.68:496:25
279.68:506:25
289.68:506:24
299.58:516:24
309.58:526:23
319.58:536:23

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.08 kWh/m² to a high of 8.77 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 2.51 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.0Moderate
33.0Moderate
42.9Moderate
52.9Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.8Moderate
82.8Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Zapala?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

3.6
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Zapala.

What to pack for Zapala in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Zapala sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 2°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Zapala in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Zapala peaks around December 21 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateModerateVery highExtremeDec 21UV 13Jun 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr5High
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct9Very high
Nov10Very high
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Zapala?

Zapala sits at 38.9°S, 70.1°W, 1,019 m above sea level, in Argentina. The nearest listed city is Cutral-Có, 72 km away.

Topography around Zapala

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Zapala.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zapala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 122 m around an average of 1,023 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 502 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,343 m.

The land around Zapala is covered by grassland (56%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 3 km, grassland (79%) within 16 km, and grassland (66%) and bare terrain (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
122 m
16 km
502 m
80 km
2,343 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Cutral-Có 72 km · Plottier 159 km · Centenario 168 km · Pucon 168 km · Cunco 170 km · Cinco Saltos 174 km · Neuquén 174 km · San Martín de los Andes 178 km

Argentina travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / I
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 46% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$14,898
2025
Happiness
6.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
4.5
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
14.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 575
Religion
Roman Catholic 63%none 19%Evangelical 15%Jehovah's Witness and Church of Jesus Christ 1%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Zapala (-38.9006°, -70.0667°, elevation 1,019 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).