Kensington weather in May

In May, Kensington sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 84 mm of rain across 9.9 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 18°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 42 min at the start of May to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kensington's 4th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kensington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
8th warmest
Overnight low
15°
5th coldest
Rainfall
84 mm
9.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
7:44 AM – 5:59 PM
Cloud cover
43%
4th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Kensington is suburb of Sydney, 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 20°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kensington reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12016
22016
32016
42016
51916
61916
71916
81916
91916
101915
111915
121915
131915
141915
151915
161915
171915
181915
191815
201815
211815
221815
231815
241815
251814
261814
271814
281814
291814
301814
311814

Kensington weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 20°759147.2
Feb24° / 21°9310.513.36.8
Mar23° / 20°8312.112.36.7
Apr21° / 17°7810.511.26.6
May19° / 15°849.910.36.3
Jun17° / 13°10010.59.85.5
Jul16° / 12°598.2105.5
Aug17° / 12°556.910.76.0
Sep18° / 14°506.811.86.6
Oct19° / 15°618.312.96.6
Nov21° / 17°729.413.86.6
Dec22° / 19°588.814.27.0

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 (%)
16634
26733
36733
46733
56733
66832
76832
86832
96832
106832
116832
126832
136832
146832
156832
166832
176733
186733
196733
206733
216733
226733
236733
246634
256634
266535
276634
286535
296436
306436
316337

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kensington gets around 84 mm of rain over 9.9 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 33% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
233
333
433
533
633
732
832
932
1032
1132
1232
1332
1432
1532
1633
1733
1833
1933
2033
2133
2233
2333
2433
2534
2634
2735
2835
2936
3036
3137

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 61% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14138201
24338191
34538170
44637160
54837150
65036140
75136130
85335120
95534110
105634100
11573490
12593380
13603370
14613270
15623260
16633160
17643060
18662950
19662950
20672850
21682750
22692740
23702640
24702640
25722530
26722530
27722530
28742420
29742420
30742420
31752410

Wind in May

Winds average 18 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of May to 9 h 54 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 7:32 AM to 7:55 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 5:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.77:326:12
210.67:336:11
310.67:346:10
410.67:356:09
510.57:366:08
610.57:366:07
710.57:376:06
810.57:386:05
910.47:396:04
1010.47:396:04
1110.47:406:03
1210.37:416:02
1310.37:426:01
1410.37:436:00
1510.37:435:59
1610.27:445:59
1710.27:455:58
1810.27:465:57
1910.27:465:57
2010.17:475:56
2110.17:485:55
2210.17:485:55
2310.17:495:54
2410.17:505:54
2510.07:515:53
2610.07:515:53
2710.07:525:52
2810.07:535:52
2910.07:535:51
309.97:545:51
319.97:555:50

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.96 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.43 kWh/m² to a high of 6.78 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 2.96 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
163.0Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kensington

In seasonPeak

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

Kensington 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 Kensington?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
2.5
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kensington for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kensington in May

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

In May, Kensington sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Kensington in May

The nearest coast averages about 21°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 15 km away) is warmest in February at about 23°C and coldest in August near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Nov 13 to Jun 7 — about 6.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°24°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan23Refreshing
Feb23Refreshing
Mar23Refreshing
Apr22Refreshing
May21Refreshing
Jun20Cool
Jul19Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct19Cool
Nov20Refreshing
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Kensington 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 Kensington peaks around January 15 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 12Jun 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct8Very high
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Kensington?

Kensington sits at 33.9°S, 151.2°E, 29 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Kingsford, 1.0 km away.

Topography around Kensington

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kensington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 85 m around an average of 30 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 918 m.

The land around Kensington is covered by artificial surfaces (64%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, water (50%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
85 m
16 km
138 m
80 km
918 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
May weather nearby: Kingsford 1.0 km · Randwick 3.0 km · Mascot 3.0 km · Coogee 3.0 km · Maroubra 3.0 km · Surry Hills 4.0 km · Sydney 6.0 km · Sydney Central Business District 6.0 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 Kensington (-33.9202°, 151.2224°, elevation 29 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).