Palmerston weather in May
In May, Palmerston sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 15 mm of rain across 2.6 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-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 Palmerston's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palmerston's year-round climate.
- Daytime high
- 33°
- 7th warmest
- Overnight low
- 21°
- 4th coldest
- Rainfall
- 15 mm
- 2.6 wet days
- Daylight
- 11 h 24 min
- 7:00 AM – 6:25 PM
- Cloud cover
- 43%
- 4th clearest
- Wind
- 9 km/h
- 4th windiest
- Solar energy
- 5.54 kWh/m²
- Travel score
- 4.3
- out of 10
Palmerston is planned satellite city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia.
- Air quality
- Good
- PM2.5 9.8 µg/m³ · 2019
- Density
- 637/km²
- people per km²
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Temperature in May
Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month.
A typical May day in Palmerston reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 12°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.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 34 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Avg low (°C) | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 34 | 22 |
| 2 | 33 | 22 |
| 3 | 33 | 22 |
| 4 | 33 | 22 |
| 5 | 33 | 22 |
| 6 | 33 | 22 |
| 7 | 33 | 22 |
| 8 | 33 | 22 |
| 9 | 33 | 22 |
| 10 | 33 | 22 |
| 11 | 33 | 22 |
| 12 | 33 | 22 |
| 13 | 33 | 21 |
| 14 | 33 | 21 |
| 15 | 33 | 21 |
| 16 | 33 | 21 |
| 17 | 33 | 21 |
| 18 | 33 | 21 |
| 19 | 33 | 21 |
| 20 | 33 | 21 |
| 21 | 33 | 21 |
| 22 | 33 | 21 |
| 23 | 33 | 21 |
| 24 | 33 | 21 |
| 25 | 33 | 21 |
| 26 | 33 | 21 |
| 27 | 32 | 21 |
| 28 | 32 | 20 |
| 29 | 32 | 20 |
| 30 | 32 | 20 |
| 31 | 32 | 20 |
How May really feels in Palmerston
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.
The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Palmerston weather by month
How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32° / 25° | 439 | 28.3 | 12.7 | 2.2 |
| Feb | 32° / 25° | 393 | 25.9 | 12.4 | 2.3 |
| Mar | 33° / 25° | 304 | 23.7 | 12.1 | 2.5 |
| Apr | 33° / 23° | 100 | 9.5 | 11.7 | 3.3 |
| May | 33° / 21° | 15 | 2.6 | 11.4 | 4.3 |
| Jun | 32° / 19° | 2 | 0.4 | 11.3 | 5.3 |
| Jul | 32° / 18° | 1 | 0.2 | 11.3 | 5.3 |
| Aug | 33° / 19° | 1 | 0.2 | 11.6 | 4.5 |
| Sep | 35° / 22° | 12 | 2.7 | 11.9 | 3.1 |
| Oct | 35° / 24° | 58 | 9.3 | 12.3 | 2.4 |
| Nov | 35° / 25° | 175 | 19.3 | 12.6 | 2.1 |
| Dec | 33° / 25° | 332 | 25.3 | 12.7 | 2.2 |
Cloud cover in May
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in May.
Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 65 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 74 | 74 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Cloudier (%) | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 35 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 64 | 36 |
| 2 | 64 | 36 |
| 3 | 64 | 36 |
| 4 | 64 | 36 |
| 5 | 64 | 36 |
| 6 | 64 | 36 |
| 7 | 64 | 36 |
| 8 | 65 | 35 |
| 9 | 65 | 35 |
| 10 | 66 | 34 |
| 11 | 67 | 33 |
| 12 | 68 | 32 |
| 13 | 69 | 31 |
| 14 | 70 | 30 |
| 15 | 70 | 30 |
| 16 | 70 | 30 |
| 17 | 72 | 28 |
| 18 | 72 | 28 |
| 19 | 72 | 28 |
| 20 | 73 | 27 |
| 21 | 73 | 27 |
| 22 | 73 | 27 |
| 23 | 74 | 26 |
| 24 | 74 | 26 |
| 25 | 73 | 27 |
| 26 | 73 | 27 |
| 27 | 73 | 27 |
| 28 | 72 | 28 |
| 29 | 72 | 28 |
| 30 | 72 | 28 |
| 31 | 72 | 28 |
Chance of precipitation in May
Palmerston gets around 15 mm of rain over 2.6 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.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain chance (%) | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Rain chance (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 11 |
| 2 | 11 |
| 3 | 10 |
| 4 | 9 |
| 5 | 9 |
| 6 | 9 |
| 7 | 8 |
| 8 | 8 |
| 9 | 8 |
| 10 | 8 |
| 11 | 8 |
| 12 | 8 |
| 13 | 8 |
| 14 | 8 |
| 15 | 9 |
| 16 | 9 |
| 17 | 9 |
| 18 | 9 |
| 19 | 9 |
| 20 | 9 |
| 21 | 9 |
| 22 | 8 |
| 23 | 8 |
| 24 | 8 |
| 25 | 8 |
| 26 | 7 |
| 27 | 7 |
| 28 | 6 |
| 29 | 6 |
| 30 | 5 |
| 31 | 5 |
Humidity in May
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 31% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 54% of them.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| Comfortable (%) | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Humid (%) | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Muggy (%) | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 37 | 37 | 36 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 |
| Oppressive (%) | 29 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
| Miserable (%) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 38 | 29 | 4 |
| 2 | 6 | 8 | 17 | 38 | 28 | 3 |
| 3 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 38 | 27 | 3 |
| 4 | 8 | 9 | 18 | 38 | 25 | 2 |
| 5 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 38 | 25 | 2 |
| 6 | 10 | 9 | 18 | 38 | 24 | 2 |
| 7 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 37 | 23 | 1 |
| 8 | 11 | 10 | 18 | 37 | 23 | 1 |
| 9 | 12 | 10 | 18 | 36 | 22 | 1 |
| 10 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 36 | 22 | 1 |
| 11 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 35 | 22 | 1 |
| 12 | 14 | 10 | 19 | 34 | 23 | 1 |
| 13 | 15 | 10 | 19 | 32 | 23 | 1 |
| 14 | 15 | 10 | 19 | 31 | 23 | 1 |
| 15 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 24 | 1 |
| 16 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 29 | 24 | 1 |
| 17 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 29 | 24 | 1 |
| 18 | 17 | 11 | 19 | 28 | 24 | 1 |
| 19 | 17 | 11 | 19 | 27 | 24 | 1 |
| 20 | 18 | 12 | 19 | 26 | 24 | 1 |
| 21 | 18 | 12 | 20 | 26 | 23 | 1 |
| 22 | 19 | 12 | 20 | 26 | 22 | 1 |
| 23 | 20 | 12 | 20 | 26 | 21 | 1 |
| 24 | 21 | 12 | 20 | 26 | 20 | 1 |
| 25 | 22 | 12 | 20 | 26 | 19 | 1 |
| 26 | 23 | 12 | 21 | 26 | 17 | 1 |
| 27 | 24 | 12 | 21 | 27 | 16 | 1 |
| 28 | 25 | 13 | 21 | 27 | 14 | 1 |
| 29 | 25 | 13 | 21 | 27 | 13 | 0 |
| 30 | 26 | 13 | 21 | 27 | 12 | 0 |
| 31 | 27 | 13 | 21 | 28 | 11 | 0 |
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.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | calm |
| 2 | 9 | calm |
| 3 | 9 | calm |
| 4 | 9 | calm |
| 5 | 9 | calm |
| 6 | 9 | calm |
| 7 | 9 | calm |
| 8 | 9 | calm |
| 9 | 9 | calm |
| 10 | 9 | calm |
| 11 | 9 | calm |
| 12 | 9 | calm |
| 13 | 9 | calm |
| 14 | 9 | calm |
| 15 | 9 | calm |
| 16 | 9 | calm |
| 17 | 9 | calm |
| 18 | 9 | calm |
| 19 | 9 | calm |
| 20 | 9 | calm |
| 21 | 9 | calm |
| 22 | 9 | calm |
| 23 | 9 | calm |
| 24 | 9 | calm |
| 25 | 9 | calm |
| 26 | 9 | calm |
| 27 | 9 | calm |
| 28 | 10 | calm |
| 29 | 10 | calm |
| 30 | 10 | calm |
| 31 | 10 | calm |
Sunrise & sunset in May
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 6:56 AM to 7:04 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:23 PM.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 11.3 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:56 | 6:57 | 6:57 | 6:57 | 6:57 | 6:57 | 6:57 | 6:58 | 6:58 | 6:58 | 6:58 | 6:59 | 6:59 | 6:59 | 6:59 | 7:00 | 7:00 | 7:00 | 7:00 | 7:01 | 7:01 | 7:01 | 7:01 | 7:02 | 7:02 | 7:02 | 7:03 | 7:03 | 7:03 | 7:03 | 7:04 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:30 | 6:30 | 6:29 | 6:29 | 6:28 | 6:28 | 6:28 | 6:27 | 6:27 | 6:27 | 6:26 | 6:26 | 6:26 | 6:26 | 6:25 | 6:25 | 6:25 | 6:25 | 6:24 | 6:24 | 6:24 | 6:24 | 6:24 | 6:24 | 6:24 | 6:24 | 6:23 | 6:23 | 6:23 | 6:23 | 6:23 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11.6 | 6:56 | 6:30 |
| 2 | 11.6 | 6:57 | 6:30 |
| 3 | 11.5 | 6:57 | 6:29 |
| 4 | 11.5 | 6:57 | 6:29 |
| 5 | 11.5 | 6:57 | 6:28 |
| 6 | 11.5 | 6:57 | 6:28 |
| 7 | 11.5 | 6:57 | 6:28 |
| 8 | 11.5 | 6:58 | 6:27 |
| 9 | 11.5 | 6:58 | 6:27 |
| 10 | 11.5 | 6:58 | 6:27 |
| 11 | 11.5 | 6:58 | 6:26 |
| 12 | 11.5 | 6:59 | 6:26 |
| 13 | 11.5 | 6:59 | 6:26 |
| 14 | 11.4 | 6:59 | 6:26 |
| 15 | 11.4 | 6:59 | 6:25 |
| 16 | 11.4 | 7:00 | 6:25 |
| 17 | 11.4 | 7:00 | 6:25 |
| 18 | 11.4 | 7:00 | 6:25 |
| 19 | 11.4 | 7:00 | 6:24 |
| 20 | 11.4 | 7:01 | 6:24 |
| 21 | 11.4 | 7:01 | 6:24 |
| 22 | 11.4 | 7:01 | 6:24 |
| 23 | 11.4 | 7:01 | 6:24 |
| 24 | 11.4 | 7:02 | 6:24 |
| 25 | 11.4 | 7:02 | 6:24 |
| 26 | 11.4 | 7:02 | 6:24 |
| 27 | 11.3 | 7:03 | 6:23 |
| 28 | 11.3 | 7:03 | 6:23 |
| 29 | 11.3 | 7:03 | 6:23 |
| 30 | 11.3 | 7:03 | 6:23 |
| 31 | 11.3 | 7:04 | 6:23 |
Solar energy in May
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.54 kWh/m².
For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.31 kWh/m² to a high of 6.88 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.54 kWh/m² falls in the middle.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 2 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 3 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 4 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 5 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 6 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 7 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 8 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 9 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 10 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 11 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 12 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 13 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 14 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 15 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 16 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 17 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 18 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 19 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 20 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 21 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 22 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 23 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 24 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 25 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 26 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 27 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 28 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 29 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 30 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 31 | 5.4 | Bright |
Hazard calendar for Palmerston
None of Palmerston's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.
Palmerston sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.
Palmerston's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is May a good time to visit Palmerston?
Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).
May is a reasonable time to visit Palmerston for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Palmerston in May
From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In May, Palmerston sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.
Sea temperature near Palmerston 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 at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 31 |
| Comfort | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | Tropical |
| Feb | 30 | Tropical |
| Mar | 30 | Tropical |
| Apr | 30 | Tropical |
| May | 29 | Tropical |
| Jun | 27 | Warm |
| Jul | 26 | Warm |
| Aug | 26 | Warm |
| Sep | 28 | Warm |
| Oct | 30 | Tropical |
| Nov | 31 | Tropical |
| Dec | 31 | Tropical |
UV index in Palmerston in May
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 Palmerston 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 16 | Extreme |
| Mar | 16 | Extreme |
| Apr | 13 | Extreme |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 14 | Extreme |
| Nov | 12 | Extreme |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
Air quality in Palmerston in May
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Palmerston is worst in May — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (March, 6 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Palmerston's WHO annual average of 9.8 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 19 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Good |
| Feb | 6 | Good |
| Mar | 6 | Good |
| Apr | 8 | Good |
| May | 19 | Moderate |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 15 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 9 | Good |
| Oct | 7 | Good |
| Nov | 7 | Good |
| Dec | 6 | Good |
Where is Palmerston?
Palmerston sits at 12.5°S, 131.0°E, 36 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Darwin, 16 km away.
Topography around Palmerston
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Palmerston.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Palmerston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 47 m around an average of 25 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 229 m.
The land around Palmerston is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, trees (49%) within 16 km, and trees (40%) and water (39%) within 80 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
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 Palmerston (-12.486°, 130.9833°, elevation 36 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).