Phnom Penh weather in May

In May, Phnom Penh sees average daytime highs of 35°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 154 mm of rain across 22.7 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 35°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

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 Phnom Penh's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Phnom Penh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
27°
11th coldest
Rainfall
154 mm
22.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
5:41 AM – 6:12 PM
Cloud cover
80%
7th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.8
out of 10

Phnom Penh is capital of Cambodia.

Density
2,319/km²
people per km²
Founded
1372

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 35°C through the month.

A typical May day in Phnom Penh reaches about 35°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°C and 37°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13627
23527
33527
43527
53527
63527
73527
83527
93527
103527
113527
123527
133527
143527
153527
163527
173527
183527
193527
203527
213527
223527
233427
243427
253427
263427
273427
283427
293427
303427
313427

How May really feels in Phnom Penh

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
31 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.

Phnom Penh weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 23°15311.44.5
Feb34° / 24°81.711.63.8
Mar35° / 26°366.211.92.7
Apr36° / 27°8114.612.21.9
May35° / 27°15422.712.51.8
Jun34° / 26°15424.312.72.0
Jul33° / 26°15425.612.62.2
Aug33° / 26°17825.912.42.1
Sep32° / 26°24527.212.12.1
Oct32° / 25°24424.711.72.6
Nov32° / 25°7811.111.53.9
Dec31° / 24°275.111.34.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% 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 81%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23565
33367
43268
53169
63070
72872
82674
92575
102377
112179
122179
131981
141783
151684
161486
171486
181387
191288
201189
211189
221189
231189
241090
251090
261090
271090
281090
291090
301090
311090

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Phnom Penh gets around 154 mm of rain over 22.7 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 73% and peaks near 83% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
260
361
462
563
664
765
866
967
1068
1169
1270
1372
1473
1574
1675
1777
1878
1978
2079
2180
2280
2380
2481
2581
2681
2782
2882
2982
3082
3183

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the miserable band about 83% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
123167
222969
322771
412673
512475
612277
712178
812079
911980
1011881
1111782
1211782
1301684
1401684
1501585
1601585
1701486
1801486
1901387
2001387
2101387
2201387
2301387
2401288
2501288
2601288
2701288
2801189
2901189
3001189
3101189

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
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 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 5:45 AM to 5:39 AM, and sunset from 6:10 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.45:456:10
212.45:456:10
312.45:456:10
412.45:446:10
512.45:446:10
612.45:436:10
712.55:436:11
812.55:436:11
912.55:436:11
1012.55:426:11
1112.55:426:11
1212.55:426:12
1312.55:416:12
1412.55:416:12
1512.55:416:12
1612.55:416:12
1712.55:406:13
1812.55:406:13
1912.65:406:13
2012.65:406:13
2112.65:406:14
2212.65:406:14
2312.65:406:14
2412.65:396:14
2512.65:396:15
2612.65:396:15
2712.65:396:15
2812.65:396:16
2912.65:396:16
3012.65:396:16
3112.65:396:16

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.59 kWh/m² to a high of 6.14 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 5.65 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Phnom Penh

In seasonPeak

In May, Phnom Penh sits inside its pacific typhoon and rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Phnom Penh sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Phnom Penh's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Phnom Penh?

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

1.8
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Phnom Penh.

What to pack for Phnom Penh in May

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

In May, Phnom Penh sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Phnom Penh 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 Phnom Penh peaks around August 18 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 19 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highAug 18UV 14Nov 19UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Phnom Penh 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 Phnom Penh is worst in February — around 44 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.4× the cleanest month (August, 18 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateFeb 1344 µg/m³Aug 1419 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan42Poor
Feb44Poor
Mar41Poor
Apr35Poor
May26Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct28Moderate
Nov29Moderate
Dec29Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Phnom Penh?

Phnom Penh sits at 11.6°N, 104.9°E, 20 m above sea level, in Cambodia. The nearest listed city is Boeng Kak Pir, 3.0 km away.

Phumĭ Yoŭl ToŭngPhumĭ Véal TônsayKampong Speu

Topography around Phnom Penh

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Phnom Penh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 25 m around an average of 13 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 713 m.

The land around Phnom Penh is covered by artificial surfaces (82%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (25%) within 16 km, and cropland (70%) within 80 km.

3 km
25 m
16 km
59 m
80 km
713 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Boeng Kak Pir 3.0 km · Dangkao 7.0 km · Chrang Chamreh Muoy 8.0 km · Ta Khmau 10 km · Kandoeng 31 km · Phumĭ Yoŭl Toŭng 37 km · Phumĭ Véal Tônsay 39 km · Kampong Speu 45 km

Cambodia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / C / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,872
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
30%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.8
per 100k, 2011
Road deaths
19.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 390
Religion
Buddhist 97%Muslim 2%other 1%Christian 0%

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 Phnom Penh (11.5625°, 104.916°, elevation 20 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). 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).