Surfers Paradise weather in May

In May, Surfers Paradise sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 97 mm of rain across 10.7 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of May to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Surfers Paradise's 6th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Surfers Paradise's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
8th warmest
Overnight low
18°
5th coldest
Rainfall
97 mm
10.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
6:24 AM – 5:01 PM
Cloud cover
42%
6th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
3.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Surfers Paradise is suburb of Gold Coast City, 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 22°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical May day in Surfers Paradise reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 23°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)
12219
22219
32219
42219
52219
62219
72219
82219
92118
102118
112118
122118
132118
142118
152118
162118
172118
182118
192118
202118
212118
222117
232117
242117
252117
262017
272017
282017
292017
302017
312017

Surfers Paradise weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 23°13112.713.66.6
Feb25° / 23°15013.6136.2
Mar25° / 22°1161512.26.4
Apr23° / 20°7312.211.46.7
May21° / 18°9710.710.66.7
Jun19° / 16°949.510.36.6
Jul19° / 15°486.310.47.1
Aug19° / 15°475.6117.4
Sep21° / 17°405.811.87.5
Oct22° / 19°758.712.77.2
Nov23° / 20°829.213.47.1
Dec24° / 22°10911.113.77.0

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 (%)
17327
27327
37327
47327
57327
67228
77327
87327
97327
107327
117327
127228
137228
147228
157129
167030
177030
187030
197129
207129
217129
227030
237030
247030
257030
267030
277030
287030
297030
307030
317030

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Surfers Paradise gets around 97 mm of rain over 10.7 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 35% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
238
338
438
538
638
738
837
937
1037
1137
1237
1337
1437
1536
1636
1736
1835
1935
2034
2134
2233
2333
2432
2532
2632
2731
2831
2931
3031
3131

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 45% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
19354313
210364212
310384111
411403910
51241389
61243378
71344358
81445347
91446336
101547325
111648325
121748314
131848304
141948303
152048293
162147293
172247292
182346282
192446282
202546272
212646272
222746261
232846251
242846251
252946241
263046231
273046231
283146221
293147211
303247211
313247200

Wind in May

Winds average 17 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 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
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of May to 10 h 24 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 6:15 AM to 6:33 AM, and sunset from 5:12 PM to 4:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:155:12
210.96:165:11
310.96:165:10
410.96:175:09
510.96:175:09
610.86:185:08
710.86:195:07
810.86:195:06
910.86:205:06
1010.76:205:05
1110.76:215:04
1210.76:225:03
1310.76:225:03
1410.76:235:02
1510.66:235:02
1610.66:245:01
1710.66:255:00
1810.66:255:00
1910.66:264:59
2010.56:264:59
2110.56:274:58
2210.56:284:58
2310.56:284:57
2410.56:294:57
2510.56:294:57
2610.46:304:56
2710.46:304:56
2810.46:314:56
2910.46:314:55
3010.46:324:55
3110.46:334:55

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.44 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3 kWh/m² to a high of 6.78 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 3.44 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.5Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.5Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.4Moderate
173.4Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.3Moderate
233.3Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.3Moderate
263.3Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Surfers Paradise

In seasonPeak

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

Surfers Paradise 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 Surfers Paradise?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Surfers Paradise for sightseeing.

What to pack for Surfers Paradise in May

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

In May, Surfers Paradise sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 18°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Surfers Paradise in May

The nearest coast averages about 24°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 23 km away) is warmest in February at about 27°C and coldest in August near 21°C.

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

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Refreshing
Jun23Refreshing
Jul21Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct23Refreshing
Nov24Refreshing
Dec25Warm

UV index in Surfers Paradise in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Surfers Paradise peaks around January 23 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 23UV 13Jun 18UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep8Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Surfers Paradise?

Surfers Paradise sits at 28.0°S, 153.4°E, 13 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Gold Coast, 0.0 km away.

Topography around Surfers Paradise

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Surfers Paradise has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 28 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 388 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,317 m.

The land around Surfers Paradise is covered by water (55%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 3 km, water (51%) and trees (25%) within 16 km, and trees (40%) and water (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
28 m
16 km
388 m
80 km
1,317 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
May weather nearby: Gold Coast 0.0 km · Southport 5.0 km · Labrador 7.0 km · Robina 8.0 km · Nerang 9.0 km · Palm Beach 13 km · Pacific Pines 13 km · Helensvale 13 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 Surfers Paradise (-28.0027°, 153.43°, elevation 13 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).