Parakou weather in May

In May, Parakou sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 127 mm of rain across 19.1 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 33°C in the first days to 32°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Parakou's 8th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Parakou's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
7th warmest
Overnight low
24°
10th coldest
Rainfall
127 mm
19.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
6:33 AM – 6:59 PM
Cloud cover
73%
8th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Parakou is city in Benin.

Density
579/km²
people per km²
Founded
1500

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 33°C in the first days to 32°C by the end.

A typical May day in Parakou reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13424
23324
33324
43324
53324
63324
73324
83324
93324
103324
113324
123324
133324
143324
153324
163324
173324
183324
193224
203223
213223
223223
233223
243223
253223
263223
273223
283223
293223
303223
313223

How May really feels in Parakou

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.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Parakou weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 20°20.211.54.2
Feb35° / 22°61.311.72.9
Mar36° / 24°254.511.92.2
Apr35° / 24°7012.312.22.4
May33° / 24°12719.112.42.8
Jun31° / 23°13619.512.53.5
Jul29° / 22°20725.412.53.4
Aug29° / 22°24926.712.33.4
Sep30° / 22°22224.312.13.2
Oct32° / 22°9815.311.83.6
Nov34° / 21°61.611.63.8
Dec34° / 20°20.311.54.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% 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 72%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
32971
42971
52971
62971
72971
82872
92872
102971
112971
122872
132971
142971
152971
162971
173070
183070
192971
202971
212971
222971
232872
242773
252773
262773
272575
282575
292575
302575
312575

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Parakou gets around 127 mm of rain over 19.1 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 61% and peaks near 68% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
155
256
357
458
559
659
759
859
959
1059
1159
1259
1359
1459
1559
1659
1759
1859
1960
2060
2161
2262
2363
2464
2565
2666
2766
2867
2968
3068
3168

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 95% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
13952
23952
32962
42962
52953
62953
71963
81963
91963
101963
111963
121954
131954
141954
151954
161954
171954
181954
191954
201954
211954
221954
231954
241954
251954
261954
271963
281963
292953
302953
312953

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:37 AM to 6:32 AM, and sunset from 6:56 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:376:56
212.36:376:57
312.36:366:57
412.36:366:57
512.46:366:57
612.46:356:57
712.46:356:57
812.46:356:57
912.46:346:57
1012.46:346:57
1112.46:346:58
1212.46:346:58
1312.46:346:58
1412.46:336:58
1512.46:336:58
1612.46:336:59
1712.46:336:59
1812.46:336:59
1912.46:326:59
2012.46:326:59
2112.56:327:00
2212.56:327:00
2312.56:327:00
2412.56:327:00
2512.56:327:00
2612.56:327:01
2712.56:327:01
2812.56:327:01
2912.56:327:01
3012.56:327:02
3112.56:327:02

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.42 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.27 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.42 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Parakou

In seasonPeak

In May, Parakou sits inside its monsoon and dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Parakou's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Parakou sees seasonal dust haze (January–May), heaviest in February.

Monsoon
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Parakou?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Parakou.

What to pack for Parakou in May

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

In May, Parakou sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Parakou in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Parakou peaks around March 22 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMar 22UV 13Dec 17UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Parakou in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Parakou is worst in February — around 85 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.0× the cleanest month (August, 17 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 1183 µg/m³Aug 1017 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan75Unhealthy
Feb85Unhealthy
Mar49Poor
Apr41Poor
May25Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct34Moderate
Nov40Poor
Dec63Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Parakou?

Parakou sits at 9.3°N, 2.6°E, 369 m above sea level, in Benin. The nearest listed city is Tchaourou, 50 km away.

TchaourouNdaliOkutaPèrèrèNikkiOuesséBembèrèkèTobré

Topography around Parakou

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Parakou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 80 m around an average of 364 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 108 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 406 m.

The land around Parakou is covered by artificial surfaces (71%) within 3 km, cropland (31%), shrubs (30%) and trees (26%) within 16 km, and shrubs (42%), trees (28%) and cropland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
80 m
16 km
108 m
80 km
406 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Tchaourou 50 km · Ndali 59 km · Okuta 64 km · Pèrèrè 64 km · Nikki 92 km · Ouessé 97 km · Bembèrèkè 99 km · Tobré 110 km

Benin travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,658
2025
Happiness
4.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
18%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2017
Road deaths
26.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 406
Religion
Muslim 28%Roman Catholic 26%Protestant 14%Vodoun 12%

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 Parakou (9.3372°, 2.6303°, elevation 369 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. 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).