Praia weather in May

In May, Praia sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 76% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of May to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Praia's 2nd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Praia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
7th warmest
Overnight low
20°
5th coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
6:10 AM – 6:51 PM
Cloud cover
25%
2nd clearest
Wind
18 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
7.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
9.1
out of 10

Praia is capital of Cape Verde.

Density
1,344/km²
people per km²
Founded
1858

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 25°C through the month.

A typical May day in Praia reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C cooler than June.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12520
22520
32520
42520
52520
62520
72520
82520
92520
102520
112520
122520
132520
142520
152520
162520
172520
182520
192520
202520
212520
222520
232520
242520
252621
262621
272621
282621
292621
302621
312621

Praia weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 20°40.711.28.7
Feb24° / 19°10.511.58.9
Mar24° / 19°10.211.99.2
Apr25° / 20°10.112.39.0
May25° / 20°00.112.79.1
Jun26° / 21°00.112.98.9
Jul27° / 23°91.912.87.9
Aug28° / 24°487.812.56.5
Sep28° / 25°72912.16.2
Oct28° / 24°323.911.77.2
Nov27° / 23°61.211.37.9
Dec25° / 21°40.711.18.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 76% 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 12%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18812
28812
38812
49010
59010
69010
7919
8919
9919
10919
11919
12919
13919
149010
158911
168812
178812
188812
198713
208614
218614
228515
238515
248515
258515
268515
278515
288515
298515
308614
318614

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Praia gets around 0 mm of rain over 0.1 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 0% and peaks near 0% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 65% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 34% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
127919
227820
317920
417821
527622
627622
727523
827424
927424
1027325
1127226
1227127
1327028
1426929
1526830
1616831
1716732
1816633
1916534
2016435
2116237
2206139
2306040
2405842
2505644
2605347
2705149
2804951
2904753
3004456
3104258

Wind in May

Winds average 18 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of May to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:15 AM to 6:07 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 6:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.56:156:47
212.56:156:47
312.66:146:48
412.66:146:48
512.66:146:48
612.66:136:48
712.66:136:49
812.66:126:49
912.66:126:49
1012.66:126:49
1112.66:116:50
1212.76:116:50
1312.76:106:50
1412.76:106:50
1512.76:106:51
1612.76:106:51
1712.76:096:51
1812.76:096:52
1912.76:096:52
2012.76:096:52
2112.76:086:53
2212.76:086:53
2312.86:086:53
2412.86:086:54
2512.86:086:54
2612.86:086:54
2712.86:076:55
2812.86:076:55
2912.86:076:55
3012.86:076:55
3112.86:076:56

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.25 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.87 kWh/m² to a high of 7.25 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 7.25 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.2Intense
27.2Intense
37.2Intense
47.2Intense
57.3Intense
67.3Intense
77.3Intense
87.3Intense
97.3Intense
107.3Intense
117.3Intense
127.3Intense
137.3Intense
147.3Intense
157.3Intense
167.3Intense
177.3Intense
187.3Intense
197.3Intense
207.2Intense
217.2Intense
227.2Intense
237.2Intense
247.2Intense
257.2Intense
267.2Intense
277.2Intense
287.2Intense
297.2Intense
307.2Intense
317.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Praia

In seasonPeak

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

Praia sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Praia sees dust haze year-round, heaviest in June.

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

Is May a good time to visit Praia?

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

9.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
8.3
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Praia for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Praia in May

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

In May, Praia sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 20°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Praia in May

The nearest coast averages about 24°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 October at about 27°C and coldest in February near 23°C.

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

22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan24Refreshing
Feb23Refreshing
Mar23Refreshing
Apr23Refreshing
May24Refreshing
Jun24Warm
Jul25Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov27Warm
Dec25Warm

UV index in Praia 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 Praia peaks around March 12 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeExtremeVery highExtremeVery highMar 12UV 12Dec 18UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr10Very high
May13Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov9Very high
Dec6High

Air quality in Praia 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 Praia is worst in December — around 71 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.0× the cleanest month (May, 14 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModerateUnhealthyDec 2471 µg/m³May 1115 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan71Unhealthy
Feb55Poor
Mar32Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul30Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct32Moderate
Nov33Moderate
Dec71Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Praia?

Praia sits at 14.9°N, 23.5°W, 0 m above sea level, in Cabo Verde. The nearest listed city is Assomada, 26 km away.

AssomadaEspargosMindelo

Topography around Praia

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Praia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 216 m around an average of 70 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 943 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,283 m.

The land around Praia is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and grassland (34%) within 3 km, water (57%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and water (90%) within 80 km.

3 km
216 m
16 km
943 m
80 km
1,283 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Assomada 26 km · Espargos 212 km · Mindelo 268 km · Dakar 653 km · Le Plateau 654 km · Guédiawaye 657 km · Pikine 658 km · N’diareme limamoulaye 659 km

Cabo Verde travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 48% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,796
2025
Homicide rate
7
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
26.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 73%none 16%Protestant 4%Christian Rationalism 2%

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 Praia (14.9315°, -23.5125°, elevation 0 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. 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).