Adelaide city centre weather in May

In May, Adelaide city centre sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 52 mm of rain across 8.6 wet days and about 10.2 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 36 min at the start of May to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Adelaide city centre's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Adelaide city centre's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
8th warmest
Overnight low
12°
6th coldest
Rainfall
52 mm
8.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
8:07 AM – 6:17 PM
Cloud cover
57%
12th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Adelaide city centre is suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.

Density
1,888/km²
people per km²

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 18°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical May day in Adelaide city centre reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11813
21813
31813
41813
51813
61713
71713
81713
91713
101712
111712
121712
131712
141712
151712
161612
171612
181612
191612
201612
211612
221612
231612
241612
251612
261612
271611
281511
291511
301511
311511

Adelaide city centre weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 17°193.214.18.5
Feb24° / 17°182.613.38.6
Mar22° / 16°193.512.38.1
Apr20° / 14°365.611.17.0
May17° / 12°528.610.25.5
Jun14° / 10°619.89.74.2
Jul13° / 6410.39.93.8
Aug14° / 5810.710.74.0
Sep16° / 10°539.611.85.0
Oct18° / 12°356.412.96.5
Nov21° / 13°305.313.87.2
Dec23° / 15°254.614.37.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34951
44951
54951
64951
74951
84951
95050
105050
115050
125050
135149
145149
155149
165149
175149
185149
195050
205050
215050
225050
235050
244951
254852
264852
274753
284753
294753
304753
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Adelaide city centre gets around 52 mm of rain over 8.6 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 27% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
226
327
427
526
626
726
826
925
1025
1125
1225
1325
1426
1526
1627
1727
1828
1928
2028
2129
2229
2329
2429
2529
2629
2729
2829
2929
3030
3130

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1919
2928
3928
4937
5937
6946
7946
8946
9955
10955
11955
12955
13955
14964
15964
16964
17964
18964
19964
20964
21964
22964
23973
24973
25973
26973
27973
28973
29982
30982
31982

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min at the start of May to 9 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 7:54 AM to 8:18 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.67:546:31
210.67:556:30
310.57:566:29
410.57:576:28
510.57:586:27
610.57:596:26
710.47:596:25
810.48:006:24
910.48:016:23
1010.38:026:22
1110.38:036:21
1210.38:036:20
1310.38:046:19
1410.28:056:19
1510.28:066:18
1610.28:076:17
1710.18:076:16
1810.18:086:16
1910.18:096:15
2010.18:106:14
2110.18:106:14
2210.08:116:13
2310.08:126:12
2410.08:136:12
2510.08:136:11
269.98:146:11
279.98:156:10
289.98:166:10
299.98:166:09
309.98:176:09
319.88:186:08

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.2 kWh/m² to a high of 7.83 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 2.73 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.2Moderate
23.2Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.0Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
92.9Moderate
102.9Moderate
112.9Moderate
122.9Moderate
132.8Moderate
142.8Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Adelaide city centre

In seasonPeak

None of Adelaide city centre's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Adelaide city centre sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Adelaide city centre?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Adelaide city centre for sightseeing.

What to pack for Adelaide city centre in May

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

In May, Adelaide city centre sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Adelaide city centre in May

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 22 km away) is warmest in February at about 22°C and coldest in August near 13°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 22 to Apr 3 — about 3.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb22Refreshing
Mar21Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May17Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul14Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct16Cool
Nov18Cool
Dec20Cool

UV index in Adelaide city centre 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 Adelaide city centre peaks around January 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 10UV 13Jun 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr5High
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct8Very high
Nov10Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Adelaide city centre?

Adelaide city centre sits at 34.9°S, 138.6°E, 58 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Adelaide, 0.0 km away.

Whyalla

Topography around Adelaide city centre

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Adelaide city centre has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 63 m around an average of 43 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 714 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 700 m.

The land around Adelaide city centre is covered by artificial surfaces (65%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (39%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and water (36%), grassland (27%) and cropland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
63 m
16 km
714 m
80 km
700 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
May weather nearby: Adelaide 0.0 km · Adelaide Hills 10 km · Parafield Gardens 16 km · Paralowie 19 km · Morphett Vale 24 km · Mount Barker 28 km · Gawler 39 km · Whyalla 232 km

Australia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 90% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$65,130
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
none 38%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 18%other Christian 4%

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 Adelaide city centre (-34.9287°, 138.6033°, elevation 58 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).