Douala weather in May

In May, Douala sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 297 mm of rain across 29.5 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Douala's 7th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Douala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
6th warmest
Overnight low
24°
9th coldest
Rainfall
297 mm
29.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:12 AM – 6:23 PM
Cloud cover
84%
7th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
out of 10

Douala is city in Cameroon.

Density
6,372/km²
people per km²

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 30°C through the month.

A typical May day in Douala reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 2°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13124
23124
33124
43124
53024
63024
73024
83024
93024
103024
113024
123024
133024
143024
153024
163024
173024
183024
193024
203024
213024
223024
233024
243024
253024
263024
273024
283024
293024
303024
312924

How May really feels in Douala

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.

Douala weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 24°6920.811.83.5
Feb31° / 25°9621.911.93.0
Mar31° / 25°22128.6122.5
Apr31° / 24°28427.912.12.6
May30° / 24°29729.512.22.6
Jun29° / 24°3032912.23.0
Jul27° / 23°36529.412.23.5
Aug27° / 23°34629.212.13.5
Sep28° / 23°35129.5123.1
Oct29° / 24°36830.311.92.8
Nov30° / 24°25828.411.82.8
Dec30° / 24°9623.111.83.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 90%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11288
21288
31288
41288
51288
61288
71288
81288
91288
101288
111189
121189
131189
141090
151090
161090
171090
181090
19991
20991
21991
22991
23892
24892
25892
26892
27892
28793
29793
30793
31892

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Douala gets around 297 mm of rain over 29.5 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 95% and peaks near 97% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
194
294
394
494
594
694
794
895
995
1095
1195
1295
1395
1496
1596
1696
1796
1896
1996
2096
2196
2296
2396
2496
2596
2696
2796
2896
2996
3096
3197

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 87% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1694
2694
3793
4793
5793
6793
7793
8793
9793
10892
11892
12892
13892
14991
15991
161090
171189
181189
191288
201387
211585
221684
231783
241882
251981
262080
272278
282377
292476
302674
312773

Wind in May

Winds average 4 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:14 AM to 6:12 AM, and sunset from 6:23 PM to 6:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:146:23
212.16:146:23
312.16:146:23
412.16:146:22
512.26:136:22
612.26:136:22
712.26:136:22
812.26:136:23
912.26:136:23
1012.26:136:23
1112.26:126:23
1212.26:126:23
1312.26:126:23
1412.26:126:23
1512.26:126:23
1612.26:126:23
1712.26:126:23
1812.26:126:23
1912.26:126:23
2012.26:126:23
2112.26:126:23
2212.26:126:24
2312.26:126:24
2412.26:126:24
2512.26:126:24
2612.26:126:24
2712.26:126:24
2812.26:126:24
2912.26:126:25
3012.26:126:25
3112.26:126:25

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.14 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.3 kWh/m² to a high of 4.95 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 4.14 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.1Bright
224.0Bright
234.0Bright
244.0Moderate
254.0Moderate
263.9Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Douala

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is May a good time to visit Douala?

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

2.6
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Douala.

What to pack for Douala in May

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

In May, Douala sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 30 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Douala 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 41 km away) is warmest in May at about 29°C and coldest in August near 26°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul27Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct28Warm
Nov28Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Douala 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 Douala peaks around April 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 10UV 13Dec 21UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Douala 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 Douala is worst in February — around 73 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.7× the cleanest month (September, 15 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorFeb 1071 µg/m³Sep 1416 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan66Unhealthy
Feb73Unhealthy
Mar42Poor
Apr32Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct19Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec53Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Douala?

Douala sits at 4.0°N, 9.7°E, 19 m above sea level, in Cameroon. The nearest listed city is Souza Gare, 23 km away.

Topography around Douala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Douala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 41 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,012 m.

The land around Douala is covered by artificial surfaces (79%) within 3 km, trees (30%), artificial surfaces (25%) and mangroves (21%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
41 m
16 km
79 m
80 km
4,012 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
May weather nearby: Souza Gare 23 km · Tiko 38 km · Muyuka 42 km · Mutengene 44 km · Dizangué 44 km · Buea 53 km · Mbanga 53 km · Edéa 55 km

Cameroon travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,972
2025
Happiness
5.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
6.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
30.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 445
Religion
Roman Catholic 33%Muslim 31%Protestant 27%animist 1%

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 Douala (4.0483°, 9.7043°, elevation 19 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. 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).