Fortaleza weather in May

In May, Fortaleza sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 129 mm of rain across 19.6 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of May to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Fortaleza's 8th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fortaleza's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
8th warmest
Overnight low
25°
7th coldest
Rainfall
129 mm
19.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
5:35 AM – 5:25 PM
Cloud cover
52%
8th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Fortaleza is human settlement in Brazil.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical May day in Fortaleza reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12925
22925
32925
42925
52925
62925
72925
82925
92925
102925
112925
122925
132925
142925
152925
162925
172925
182925
192925
202925
212925
222925
232925
242925
252925
262925
272925
282925
292925
302925
312925

How May really feels in Fortaleza

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.

Fortaleza weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 25°9418.212.24.4
Feb29° / 25°13220.112.14.0
Mar29° / 25°19425.4123.6
Apr29° / 25°24825.511.93.5
May29° / 25°12919.611.84.4
Jun29° / 25°7213.711.85.3
Jul29° / 24°367.711.86.2
Aug30° / 24°82.311.96.7
Sep30° / 25°41.2126.8
Oct30° / 25°51.612.16.6
Nov30° / 26°72.312.26.3
Dec30° / 26°278.512.25.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 40%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24555
34753
44852
55050
65149
75347
85446
95545
105644
115743
125743
135842
145941
156040
166040
176139
186238
196337
206337
216535
226535
236733
246733
256931
266931
277030
287228
297228
307426
317426

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Fortaleza gets around 129 mm of rain over 19.6 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 64% and peaks near 77% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
177
275
374
473
571
670
769
867
966
1065
1164
1263
1363
1462
1562
1662
1762
1862
1961
2061
2161
2261
2360
2460
2559
2659
2759
2858
2958
3057
3156

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 63% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
105149
205149
305248
405347
505446
605545
705644
805743
905842
1005842
1105941
1206040
1306040
1406139
1506238
1606337
1706337
1806436
1906535
2006535
2106634
2206733
2306832
2406931
2507030
2607228
2717227
2817425
2917623
3017821
3118019

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 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
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of May to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:35 AM to 5:37 AM, and sunset from 5:28 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.95:355:28
211.95:355:27
311.95:355:27
411.95:355:27
511.95:355:27
611.95:355:27
711.95:355:26
811.95:355:26
911.85:355:26
1011.85:355:26
1111.85:355:26
1211.85:355:26
1311.85:355:26
1411.85:355:26
1511.85:355:25
1611.85:355:25
1711.85:365:25
1811.85:365:25
1911.85:365:25
2011.85:365:25
2111.85:365:25
2211.85:365:25
2311.85:365:25
2411.85:365:25
2511.85:365:25
2611.85:375:25
2711.85:375:25
2811.85:375:25
2911.85:375:25
3011.85:375:26
3111.85:375:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.03 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.79 kWh/m² to a high of 6.74 kWh/m² in September across the year — May's 5.03 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Fortaleza

In seasonPeak

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

Fortaleza's monsoon runs February–May, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Fortaleza?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Fortaleza for sightseeing.

What to pack for Fortaleza in May

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

In May, Fortaleza sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Fortaleza 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 14 km away) is warmest in April at about 29°C and coldest in August near 27°C.

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

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Tropical
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov27Warm
Dec28Warm

UV index in Fortaleza 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 Fortaleza peaks around March 17 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeMar 17UV 15Jun 23UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec11Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Fortaleza?

Fortaleza sits at 3.7°S, 38.5°W, 18 m above sea level, in Brazil. The nearest listed city is Caucaia, 12 km away.

Topography around Fortaleza

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Fortaleza has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 33 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 67 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,081 m.

The land around Fortaleza is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and water (41%) within 3 km, water (50%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 16 km, and water (39%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
33 m
16 km
67 m
80 km
1,081 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
May weather nearby: Caucaia 12 km · Maracanaú 20 km · Eusébio 22 km · Maranguape 25 km · Aquiraz 27 km · Itaitinga 28 km · Pacatuba 31 km · Guaiúba 37 km

Brazil travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / N
127 / 220 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 46% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$10,713
2025
Happiness
6.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
89%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
19.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
16
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 482
Religion
Roman Catholic 57%Evangelical 27%none 9%other 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 Fortaleza (-3.7172°, -38.5431°, elevation 18 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. 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).