Darwin weather in May

In May, Darwin sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 14 mm of rain across 2.4 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Darwin's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Darwin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
5th warmest
Overnight low
22°
5th coldest
Rainfall
14 mm
2.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
7:00 AM – 6:26 PM
Cloud cover
43%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Darwin is capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia, and the surrounding area.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,443/km²
people per km²
Founded
1869

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month.

A typical May day in Darwin reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13423
23423
33423
43423
53423
63423
73323
83323
93323
103323
113322
123322
133322
143322
153322
163322
173322
183322
193322
203322
213322
223322
233322
243322
253322
263321
273321
283321
293221
303221
313221

How May really feels in Darwin

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Darwin weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 26°43827.612.72.6
Feb31° / 26°37625.612.42.6
Mar32° / 25°30024.412.12.7
Apr33° / 24°10010.111.73.4
May33° / 22°142.411.44.2
Jun32° / 20°20.411.35.2
Jul32° / 19°10.311.35.3
Aug33° / 19°20.511.64.7
Sep34° / 22°163.811.93.6
Oct34° / 24°7611.212.33.0
Nov33° / 25°18020.812.62.6
Dec32° / 26°32324.912.72.6

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 21% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26436
36436
46337
56337
66337
76436
86436
96535
106634
116733
126733
136931
147030
157030
167129
177228
187327
197327
207426
217426
227426
237525
247426
257426
267327
277327
287327
297228
307228
317228

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Darwin gets around 14 mm of rain over 2.4 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 8% and peaks near 11% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
111
210
310
49
59
68
78
88
98
107
118
128
138
148
158
168
178
188
198
208
218
228
238
247
257
267
276
286
295
305
314

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 30% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 52% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1781838254
2881838244
3991938233
41091938223
51191938213
611101937212
712101937202
813101936202
914101935202
1015101934202
1115101933202
1216111932212
1317111931212
1417111930212
1518111929222
1618111928222
1719111927222
1819111927222
1919111926222
2020122025222
2120122025212
2221122025202
2322122125192
2422122125182
2523132125162
2624132225151
2725132225141
2826132226131
2927132226111
3028132226101
3129132226101

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
19calm
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
2710calm
2810calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:57 AM to 7:04 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:576:31
211.66:576:30
311.56:576:30
411.56:576:29
511.56:586:29
611.56:586:29
711.56:586:28
811.56:586:28
911.56:586:28
1011.56:596:27
1111.56:596:27
1211.56:596:27
1311.56:596:26
1411.47:006:26
1511.47:006:26
1611.47:006:26
1711.47:006:25
1811.47:016:25
1911.47:016:25
2011.47:016:25
2111.47:016:25
2211.47:026:25
2311.47:026:24
2411.47:026:24
2511.47:026:24
2611.47:036:24
2711.37:036:24
2811.37:036:24
2911.37:046:24
3011.37:046:24
3111.37:046:24

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.21 kWh/m² to a high of 6.81 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.51 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Darwin

In seasonPeak

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

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

Darwin's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Darwin?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.5
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Darwin for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Darwin in May

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

In May, Darwin sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Darwin in May

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 December at about 31°C and coldest in July near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan30Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct30Tropical
Nov31Tropical
Dec31Tropical

UV index in Darwin in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Darwin peaks around February 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 9 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 20UV 16Jun 18UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Darwin 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 Darwin is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (March, 5 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Darwin's WHO annual average of 9.1 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1416 µg/m³Mar 185 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar5Good
Apr6Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Darwin?

Darwin sits at 12.5°S, 130.8°E, 31 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Palmerston, 16 km away.

SuaiAileuAtsabe

Topography around Darwin

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Darwin has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 40 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 51 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 227 m.

The land around Darwin is covered by water (62%) within 3 km, water (46%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and water (44%) and trees (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
40 m
16 km
51 m
80 km
227 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
May weather nearby: Palmerston 16 km · Lospalos 607 km · Venilale 647 km · Baucau 653 km · Suai 703 km · Aileu 710 km · Atsabe 713 km · Dili 721 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 Darwin (-12.4611°, 130.8418°, elevation 31 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).