Gaoua weather in May

In May, Gaoua sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 84 mm of rain across 15.1 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 35°C in the first days to 33°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of May to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Gaoua's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gaoua's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
5th warmest
Overnight low
25°
10th coldest
Rainfall
84 mm
15.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
5:55 AM – 6:23 PM
Cloud cover
66%
9th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.2 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
out of 10

Gaoua is city in Burkina Faso.

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 35°C in the first days to 33°C by the end.

A typical May day in Gaoua reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 36°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)
13525
23525
33525
43525
53525
63525
73425
83425
93425
103425
113425
123425
133425
143425
153425
163425
173425
183425
193425
203425
213425
223325
233324
243324
253324
263324
273324
283324
293324
303324
313324

How May really feels in Gaoua

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
5 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
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.

Gaoua 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 20°10.211.54.1
Feb36° / 23°4111.72.6
Mar37° / 25°214.311.91.6
Apr36° / 26°6110.712.21.9
May34° / 25°8415.112.52.7
Jun32° / 24°8615.312.63.6
Jul30° / 23°15020.312.53.9
Aug29° / 22°21524.712.33.6
Sep30° / 22°16521.212.13.7
Oct32° / 23°7112.611.83.9
Nov34° / 22°81.711.53.6
Dec34° / 20°10.211.44.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23862
33862
43862
53862
63961
74060
84060
94060
104060
114159
124159
134159
144159
154159
164258
174258
184258
194258
204258
214159
224159
234258
244258
254258
264357
274357
284357
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Gaoua gets around 84 mm of rain over 15.1 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 48% and peaks near 51% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
244
345
446
547
647
748
849
949
1050
1150
1250
1350
1450
1550
1649
1749
1849
1948
2048
2148
2248
2348
2448
2549
2649
2749
2850
2950
3050
3151

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 89% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1118801
2117811
3116821
4115831
5114841
6113851
7113851
8112861
9111871
10110881
1119891
1208911
1308911
1407921
1507921
1607921
1707921
1807921
1907912
2007912
2107912
2207912
2307912
2407912
2508902
2608902
2708902
2808902
2908902
3007912
3107912

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of May to 12 h 36 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 5:59 AM to 5:53 AM, and sunset from 6:21 PM to 6:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.45:596:21
212.45:596:21
312.45:586:21
412.45:586:21
512.45:586:21
612.45:576:21
712.45:576:22
812.45:576:22
912.45:566:22
1012.45:566:22
1112.45:566:22
1212.45:566:22
1312.55:556:23
1412.55:556:23
1512.55:556:23
1612.55:556:23
1712.55:556:23
1812.55:546:24
1912.55:546:24
2012.55:546:24
2112.55:546:24
2212.55:546:24
2312.55:546:25
2412.55:546:25
2512.55:546:25
2612.55:546:25
2712.55:546:26
2812.55:546:26
2912.55:536:26
3012.65:536:26
3112.65:536:27

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.2 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.4 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 6.2 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Gaoua

In seasonPeak

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

Gaoua's monsoon runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Gaoua sees seasonal dust haze (February–June), heaviest in March.

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

Is May a good time to visit Gaoua?

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

2.7
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gaoua.

What to pack for Gaoua in May

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

In May, Gaoua sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Gaoua in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gaoua peaks around March 18 at about 14 (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 18UV 14Dec 17UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Gaoua 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 Gaoua is worst in December — around 66 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.6× the cleanest month (August, 12 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyDec 1764 µg/m³Aug 1312 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan52Poor
Feb62Unhealthy
Mar47Poor
Apr39Poor
May21Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug12Good
Sep16Moderate
Oct26Moderate
Nov51Poor
Dec66Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Gaoua?

Gaoua sits at 10.3°N, 3.2°W, 337 m above sea level, in Burkina Faso. The nearest listed city is Jirapa, 57 km away.

JirapaBatiéDoropoDiébougouWaDanoBounaHoundé

Topography around Gaoua

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gaoua has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 99 m around an average of 298 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 249 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 342 m.

The land around Gaoua is covered by grassland (32%), artificial surfaces (22%) and cropland (21%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and shrubs (27%) within 16 km, and shrubs (43%) and grassland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
99 m
16 km
249 m
80 km
342 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Jirapa 57 km · Batié 58 km · Doropo 61 km · Diébougou 71 km · Wa 80 km · Dano 92 km · Bouna 120 km · Houndé 135 km

Burkina Faso travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 37% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,148
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
1.3
per 100k, 2017
Road deaths
31
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
Religion
Muslim 64%Roman Catholic 20%Animiste 9%Protestant 6%

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 Gaoua (10.3314°, -3.182°, elevation 337 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).