Coffs Harbour weather in May

In May, Coffs Harbour sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 74 mm of rain across 9.1 wet days and about 10.5 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 48 min at the start of May to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Coffs Harbour's 5th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Coffs Harbour's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
9th warmest
Overnight low
12°
5th coldest
Rainfall
74 mm
9.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 30 min
7:29 AM – 5:58 PM
Cloud cover
44%
5th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
3.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Coffs Harbour is city in New South Wales, Australia.

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 21°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Coffs Harbour reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12114
22114
32113
42113
52113
62013
72013
82013
92013
102013
112013
122012
132012
142012
152012
162012
172012
182012
191912
201912
211912
221912
231912
241912
251911
261911
271911
281911
291911
301911
311911

Coffs Harbour weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 19°16015.413.75.9
Feb26° / 19°16515.713.15.6
Mar24° / 18°16317.812.25.9
Apr22° / 15°7812.311.36.5
May20° / 12°749.110.56.7
Jun18° / 10°817.510.16.4
Jul17° / 365.710.26.7
Aug19° / 455.210.97.3
Sep21° / 11°436.811.87.4
Oct22° / 14°8810.612.76.8
Nov24° / 16°13114.113.56.3
Dec25° / 18°15015.913.95.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36535
46535
56634
66634
76634
86733
96733
106733
116733
126832
136832
146832
156832
166832
176832
186733
196733
206733
216733
226733
236733
246733
256733
266733
276733
286733
296634
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Coffs Harbour gets around 74 mm of rain over 9.1 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 29% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
235
335
434
533
633
732
831
931
1030
1130
1229
1329
1428
1528
1627
1727
1827
1927
2027
2127
2227
2327
2427
2527
2627
2727
2827
2927
3027
3127

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 57% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13345211
23545191
33744181
43943171
54242161
64441151
74640131
84839131
95038121
105237110
115436100
12553690
13573580
14583570
15593470
16613360
17613360
18623260
19633250
20643150
21643150
22663040
23663040
24663040
25682930
26682930
27692830
28692830
29702730
30712720
31722620

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 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
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min at the start of May to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 7:20 AM to 7:39 AM, and sunset from 6:10 PM to 5:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.87:206:10
210.87:206:09
310.87:216:08
410.87:226:07
510.77:226:06
610.77:236:06
710.77:246:05
810.77:246:04
910.67:256:03
1010.67:266:02
1110.67:266:02
1210.67:276:01
1310.57:286:00
1410.57:285:59
1510.57:295:59
1610.57:295:58
1710.57:305:57
1810.47:315:57
1910.47:315:56
2010.47:325:56
2110.47:335:55
2210.47:335:55
2310.37:345:54
2410.37:355:54
2510.37:355:53
2610.37:365:53
2710.37:365:52
2810.37:375:52
2910.27:385:52
3010.27:385:51
3110.27:395:51

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.29 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.86 kWh/m² to a high of 6.36 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 3.29 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.5Moderate
83.5Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.3Moderate
183.2Moderate
193.2Moderate
203.2Moderate
213.2Moderate
223.2Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.1Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Coffs Harbour

In seasonPeak

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

Coffs Harbour sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Coffs Harbour's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Coffs Harbour?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.3
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Coffs Harbour for sightseeing.

What to pack for Coffs Harbour in May

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

In May, Coffs Harbour sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Coffs Harbour in May

The nearest coast averages about 23°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in February at about 26°C and coldest in August near 20°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 27 to Aug 9 — about 11.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

18°20°22°24°26°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swimcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar25Warm
Apr24Warm
May23Refreshing
Jun22Refreshing
Jul20Refreshing
Aug20Cool
Sep20Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov22Refreshing
Dec24Refreshing

UV index in Coffs Harbour in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Coffs Harbour peaks around January 18 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 — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 18UV 13Jun 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar10Extreme
Apr7High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep7High
Oct9Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Coffs Harbour 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 Coffs Harbour is worst in November — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 8.5× the cleanest month (April, 4 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateNov 1635 µg/m³Apr 205 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb7Good
Mar7Good
Apr4Good
May5Good
Jun5Good
Jul6Good
Aug18Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov37Poor
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Coffs Harbour?

Coffs Harbour sits at 30.3°S, 153.1°E, 6 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Grafton, 71 km away.

TamworthBanora PointPalm Beach

Topography around Coffs Harbour

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Coffs Harbour has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 255 m around an average of 24 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 713 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,555 m.

The land around Coffs Harbour is covered by trees (36%), artificial surfaces (29%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, water (44%) and trees (42%) within 16 km, and trees (55%) and water (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
255 m
16 km
713 m
80 km
1,555 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Grafton 71 km · Port Macquarie 128 km · Armidale 141 km · Byron Bay 189 km · Taree 190 km · Tamworth 227 km · Banora Point 235 km · Palm Beach 245 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 Coffs Harbour (-30.2963°, 153.1135°, elevation 6 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).