Bairnsdale weather in May

In May, Bairnsdale sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 34 mm of rain across 6.6 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 12th-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 27% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 30 min at the start of May to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Bairnsdale's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bairnsdale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
9th warmest
Overnight low
5th coldest
Rainfall
34 mm
6.6 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
8:07 AM – 6:05 PM
Cloud cover
57%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Bairnsdale is city in Victoria, Australia.

Founded
1859

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 Bairnsdale reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°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)
1189
2189
3189
4189
5179
6179
7178
8178
9178
10178
11178
12178
13178
14168
15168
16168
17168
18168
19168
20168
21168
22168
23168
24168
25168
26158
27157
28157
29157
30157
31157

Bairnsdale weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 14°588.214.37.2
Feb25° / 14°627.513.57.2
Mar23° / 12°477.312.37.3
Apr20° / 10°547.211.16.7
May16° / 346.6105.6
Jun14° / 638.69.44.2
Jul13° / 448.19.64.1
Aug15° / 469.210.54.6
Sep17° / 589.911.75.5
Oct19° / 7010.7136.1
Nov21° / 10°8510.8146.4
Dec23° / 12°729.114.67.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55149
65149
75149
85248
95248
105248
115347
125347
135347
145248
155248
165248
175149
185149
195149
205050
215050
225050
235050
245050
254951
264951
274951
284951
294951
304951
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Bairnsdale gets around 34 mm of rain over 6.6 wet days in May, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 22% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
223
323
423
523
622
722
822
921
1021
1121
1221
1321
1421
1521
1621
1721
1821
1921
2021
2121
2222
2322
2422
2522
2622
2723
2823
2923
3023
3124

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1955
2955
3964
4964
5973
6973
7973
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 30 min at the start of May to 9 h 36 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 7:53 AM to 8:19 AM, and sunset from 6:20 PM to 5:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.57:536:20
210.47:546:19
310.47:556:18
410.37:566:17
510.37:576:16
610.37:586:15
710.27:596:14
810.28:006:12
910.28:016:11
1010.18:016:10
1110.18:026:09
1210.18:036:08
1310.18:046:07
1410.08:056:07
1510.08:066:06
1610.08:076:05
179.98:086:04
189.98:096:03
199.98:096:02
209.98:106:02
219.88:116:01
229.88:126:00
239.88:135:59
249.88:145:59
259.78:145:58
269.78:155:58
279.78:165:57
289.78:175:56
299.68:175:56
309.68:185:55
319.68:195:55

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.97 kWh/m² to a high of 6.92 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 2.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.9Moderate
22.9Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Bairnsdale

In seasonPeak

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

Bairnsdale 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 Bairnsdale?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Bairnsdale for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bairnsdale in May

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

In May, Bairnsdale sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Bairnsdale in May

The nearest coast averages about 16°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 24 km away) is warmest in February at about 19°C and coldest in August near 12°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb19Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr17Cool
May16Cool
Jun14Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov15Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Bairnsdale 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 Bairnsdale peaks around December 21 at about 12 (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 highModerateLowModerateVery highExtremeDec 21UV 12Jun 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar8Very high
Apr5Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct8Very high
Nov9Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Bairnsdale in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Bairnsdale is worst in January — around 38 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 16.0× the cleanest month (June, 2 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateModerateGoodModerateJan 1038 µg/m³Jun 232 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan38Poor
Feb10Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May6Good
Jun2Good
Jul3Good
Aug3Good
Sep4Good
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec36Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Bairnsdale?

Bairnsdale sits at 37.8°S, 147.6°E, 26 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Traralgon, 102 km away.

Topography around Bairnsdale

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bairnsdale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 72 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 479 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,640 m.

The land around Bairnsdale is covered by grassland (47%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and trees (51%) and water (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
72 m
16 km
479 m
80 km
1,640 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Traralgon 102 km · Warragul 152 km · Pakenham 189 km · Officer 195 km · Lilydale 199 km · Wangaratta 199 km · Berwick 200 km · Wodonga 200 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 Bairnsdale (-37.8229°, 147.6104°, elevation 26 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).