Punakha weather in May

In May, Punakha sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 265 mm of rain across 28.5 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of May to 13 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Punakha's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Punakha's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
5th warmest
Overnight low
10°
8th coldest
Rainfall
265 mm
28.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:16 AM – 6:38 PM
Cloud cover
76%
8th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Punakha is city in Bhutan.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Punakha reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 9°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 warmer than April and about 1°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1178
2188
3188
4189
5189
6189
7189
8189
9189
10189
11189
121810
131810
141910
151910
161910
171910
181910
191910
201911
211911
221911
231911
241911
251911
261911
271911
281911
291912
301912
311912

How May really feels in Punakha

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Punakha weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -1°16220.914.110.51.1
Feb10° / 19222.711.3111.4
Mar13° / 24227.14.911.82.1
Apr16° / 20826.60.212.63.1
May19° / 10°26528.5013.33.5
Jun20° / 13°50129.5013.73.2
Jul20° / 14°73530.9013.63.1
Aug20° / 14°57130.40133.2
Sep19° / 12°38527.9012.23.4
Oct17° / 18521.7011.34.0
Nov14° / 11117.40.410.63.2
Dec10° / 11618.85.810.32.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 84%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21783
31783
41882
51882
61882
71981
81981
91981
101981
111981
121981
131981
141981
151882
161882
171783
181783
191684
201585
211486
221486
231387
241387
251189
261189
271090
281090
291090
301090
31991

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Punakha gets around 265 mm of rain over 28.5 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 92% and peaks near 97% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
191
291
390
490
590
690
790
890
989
1089
1189
1289
1389
1490
1590
1690
1791
1891
1991
2092
2192
2293
2394
2494
2595
2695
2795
2896
2996
3096
3197

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 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29820
39820
49820
59730
69730
79730
89640
99550
109460
119460
129370
139280
1490100
1589110
1688120
1786140
1885150
1983170
2082180
2180200
2279210
2377230
2475250
2574260
2672280
2770300
2868320
2966340
3063361
3161381

Wind in May

Winds average 3 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours at the start of May to 13 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:27 AM to 5:10 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:276:29
213.15:266:29
313.15:256:30
413.15:246:31
513.15:236:31
613.25:236:32
713.25:226:32
813.25:216:33
913.25:206:33
1013.25:206:34
1113.35:196:35
1213.35:186:35
1313.35:186:36
1413.35:176:36
1513.35:176:37
1613.45:166:38
1713.45:156:38
1813.45:156:39
1913.45:146:39
2013.45:146:40
2113.55:136:40
2213.55:136:41
2313.55:126:42
2413.55:126:42
2513.55:126:43
2613.55:116:43
2713.55:116:44
2813.65:116:44
2913.65:106:45
3013.65:106:45
3113.65:106:46

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.85 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.64 kWh/m² to a high of 4.96 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 4.85 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Punakha

In seasonPeak

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

Punakha's rainy season runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Punakha?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
1.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Punakha.

What to pack for Punakha in May

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

In May, Punakha sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 10°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Punakha in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Punakha peaks around July 12 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighJul 12UV 15Dec 23UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5Moderate
Feb7High
Mar10Very high
Apr11Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun14Extreme
Jul15Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov6High
Dec5Moderate

Air quality in Punakha 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 Punakha is worst in February — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.4× the cleanest month (September, 4 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodFeb 2116 µg/m³Sep 164 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb16Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May10Good
Jun6Good
Jul4Good
Aug4Good
Sep4Good
Oct4Good
Nov5Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Punakha?

Punakha sits at 27.6°N, 89.9°E, 1,293 m above sea level, in Bhutan. The nearest listed city is Thimphu, 27 km away.

ThimphuParoTrongsaTsirangJakarPhuentsholingMongarTrashigang

Topography around Punakha

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Punakha has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,103 m around an average of 1,495 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,669 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,227 m.

The land around Punakha is covered by trees (62%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, trees (88%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,103 m
16 km
2,669 m
80 km
7,227 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Thimphu 27 km · Paro 49 km · Trongsa 63 km · Tsirang 68 km · Jakar 86 km · Phuentsholing 95 km · Mongar 139 km · Trashigang 168 km

Bhutan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / D / F / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 23% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,493
2025
Happiness
5.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2018
Safe drinking water
66%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.5
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
16.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 473
Religion
Lamaistic Buddhist 75%Indian- and Nepali-influenced Hinduism 22%other 3%

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 Punakha (27.5914°, 89.8774°, elevation 1,293 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).