Hervey Bay weather in May

In May, Hervey Bay sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 57 mm of rain across 7.2 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 24°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of May to 10 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Hervey Bay's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hervey Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
8th warmest
Overnight low
18°
5th coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
7.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:22 AM – 5:08 PM
Cloud cover
43%
6th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.7 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.5
out of 10

Hervey Bay is city in Queensland, 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 24°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Hervey Bay reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12419
22419
32419
42419
52319
62318
72318
82318
92318
102318
112318
122318
132318
142318
152318
162317
172317
182317
192217
202217
212217
222217
232217
242217
252217
262217
272217
282217
292217
302216
312216

Hervey Bay weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 24°10511.413.46.4
Feb27° / 24°1341212.96.1
Mar27° / 23°9510.212.26.7
Apr25° / 20°527.911.47.5
May23° / 18°577.210.87.5
Jun21° / 15°535.410.57.5
Jul20° / 14°303.910.67.7
Aug21° / 15°333.511.17.9
Sep22° / 17°283.911.88.2
Oct24° / 19°626.312.67.9
Nov25° / 21°487.213.27.5
Dec26° / 23°938.913.56.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27228
37228
47228
57228
67228
77228
87228
97228
107228
117228
127228
137228
147228
157228
167129
177129
187129
197030
207030
217030
227030
237030
247030
257129
267129
277129
287129
297129
307030
317129

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Hervey Bay gets around 57 mm of rain over 7.2 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 24% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
327
427
526
625
725
825
924
1024
1124
1224
1324
1424
1524
1624
1724
1824
1924
2023
2123
2223
2323
2422
2522
2621
2721
2820
2920
3020
3119

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 37% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 10% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1102345211
2102445191
3112644181
4112844161
5122943151
6133042141
7133142131
8143241121
9153341111
10153440101
11163440100
1217343990
1318343890
1419343890
1520343790
1621343790
1722333780
1823333680
1923333680
2024333580
2125333570
2225333470
2326343470
2426343360
2527343360
2628343350
2728343250
2828353250
2929353240
3029353240
3129363140

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light 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
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of May to 10 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:14 AM to 6:30 AM, and sunset from 5:18 PM to 5:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:145:18
211.06:155:17
311.06:155:17
411.06:165:16
511.06:165:15
611.06:175:14
710.96:175:14
810.96:185:13
910.96:185:12
1010.96:195:12
1110.96:195:11
1210.86:205:11
1310.86:205:10
1410.86:215:09
1510.86:215:09
1610.86:225:08
1710.86:235:08
1810.76:235:07
1910.76:245:07
2010.76:245:06
2110.76:255:06
2210.76:255:06
2310.76:265:05
2410.66:265:05
2510.66:275:05
2610.66:275:04
2710.66:285:04
2810.66:285:04
2910.66:295:03
3010.66:295:03
3110.66:305:03

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.7 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.28 kWh/m² to a high of 6.63 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 3.7 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Bright
24.0Moderate
34.0Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.6Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.5Moderate
293.4Moderate
303.4Moderate
313.4Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Hervey Bay

In seasonPeak

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

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

Hervey Bay's rainy season runs December–March, 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 Hervey Bay?

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

7.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Hervey Bay for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Hervey Bay in May

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

In May, Hervey Bay sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 18°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 7 days see rain.

light clothes

Sea temperature near Hervey Bay 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 at the nearest coast (about 21 km away) is warmest in February at about 27°C and coldest in July near 20°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 23 to Jul 6 — about 10.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swimcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr25Warm
May23Refreshing
Jun21Refreshing
Jul20Cool
Aug20Cool
Sep21Refreshing
Oct23Refreshing
Nov25Warm
Dec26Warm

UV index in Hervey Bay in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hervey Bay peaks around February 10 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighHighVery highExtremeFeb 10UV 14Jun 19UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug7High
Sep8Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Hervey Bay?

Hervey Bay sits at 25.3°S, 152.8°E, 9 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Maryborough, 29 km away.

Topography around Hervey Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hervey Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 665 m.

The land around Hervey Bay is covered by grassland (43%) and trees (34%) within 3 km, water (41%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and water (44%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
69 m
16 km
92 m
80 km
665 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
May weather nearby: Maryborough 29 km · Bundaberg 63 km · Gympie 101 km · Noosa 127 km · Sunshine Coast 155 km · Maroochydore 156 km · Buderim 158 km · Caloundra 172 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 Hervey Bay (-25.2876°, 152.7694°, elevation 9 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).