Whyalla weather in May

In May, Whyalla sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 19 mm of rain across 3.8 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Whyalla's 11th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Whyalla's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
9th warmest
Overnight low
10°
5th coldest
Rainfall
19 mm
3.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 18 min
8:07 AM – 6:25 PM
Cloud cover
51%
11th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
3.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.4
out of 10

Whyalla is city in South Australia.

Air quality
Good
PM10 22.2 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1901

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 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Whyalla reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12212
22211
32211
42211
52211
62211
72111
82111
92111
102111
112111
122110
132110
142110
152010
162010
172010
182010
192010
202010
212010
222010
232010
241910
251910
26199
27199
28199
29199
30199
31189

Whyalla weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 18°202.613.95.3
Feb31° / 18°21213.25.8
Mar28° / 16°132.312.37.2
Apr25° / 13°19311.28.2
May20° / 10°193.810.37.4
Jun17° / 254.99.96.3
Jul17° / 194.2106.3
Aug19° / 20510.87.0
Sep22° / 284.711.87.7
Oct25° / 12°223.712.88.1
Nov28° / 14°243.713.77.2
Dec30° / 16°304.114.16.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 42%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35842
45842
55842
65842
75842
85842
95941
105941
115941
126040
136040
146040
156139
166040
176040
186040
196040
206040
216040
226040
235842
245842
255842
265743
275743
285644
295644
305644
315545

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Whyalla gets around 19 mm of rain over 3.8 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 13% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
212
312
412
511
611
711
810
910
1010
1110
1210
1311
1411
1511
1612
1712
1813
1913
2013
2114
2214
2314
2415
2515
2615
2716
2816
2916
3016
3117

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19361
29361
39460
49550
59550
69550
79550
89640
99640
109640
119640
129640
139730
149730
159730
169730
179730
189730
199730
209730
219820
229820
239820
249820
259820
269820
279820
289820
299820
309910
319910

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of May to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 7:56 AM to 8:17 AM, and sunset from 6:38 PM to 6:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.77:566:38
210.77:566:37
310.77:576:36
410.67:586:35
510.67:596:34
610.67:596:33
710.58:006:32
810.58:016:31
910.58:026:31
1010.58:026:30
1110.48:036:29
1210.48:046:28
1310.48:056:27
1410.48:056:27
1510.38:066:26
1610.38:076:25
1710.38:086:24
1810.38:086:24
1910.28:096:23
2010.28:106:22
2110.28:116:22
2210.28:116:21
2310.18:126:21
2410.18:136:20
2510.18:136:20
2610.18:146:19
2710.18:156:19
2810.18:156:18
2910.08:166:18
3010.08:176:17
3110.08:176:17

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.06 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.45 kWh/m² to a high of 7.95 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 3.06 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.0Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Whyalla

In seasonPeak

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

Whyalla 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 Whyalla?

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

7.4
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Whyalla in May

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

In May, Whyalla sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 10°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 4 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Whyalla in May

The nearest coast averages about 18°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 February at about 23°C and coldest in August near 13°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Nov 28 to Apr 16 — about 4.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan23Refreshing
Feb23Refreshing
Mar22Refreshing
Apr20Refreshing
May18Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul14Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep15Bracing
Oct17Cool
Nov19Cool
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Whyalla in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Whyalla peaks around January 1 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 12 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 1UV 13Jul 12UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct8Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Whyalla?

Whyalla sits at 33.0°S, 137.6°E, 20 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Gawler, 206 km away.

ParalowieParafield GardensAdelaideAdelaide city centreAdelaide HillsMorphett ValeMount Barker

Topography around Whyalla

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Whyalla has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 63 m around an average of 14 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 169 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 946 m.

The land around Whyalla is covered by artificial surfaces (32%) within 3 km, water (45%), grassland (26%) and shrubs (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (33%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
63 m
16 km
169 m
80 km
946 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
May weather nearby: Gawler 206 km · Paralowie 215 km · Parafield Gardens 217 km · Adelaide 231 km · Adelaide city centre 232 km · Adelaide Hills 234 km · Morphett Vale 249 km · Mount Barker 256 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 Whyalla (-33.0327°, 137.5648°, elevation 20 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).