West Bay weather in May

In May, West Bay sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 95 mm of rain across 11.2 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of May to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is West Bay's 6th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see West Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
6th warmest
Overnight low
26°
7th coldest
Rainfall
95 mm
11.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:54 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
45%
6th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

West Bay is populated place in the Cayman Islands.

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 28°C through the month.

A typical May day in West Bay reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C warmer than April and about 1°C cooler than June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12726
22726
32726
42726
52726
62726
72726
82726
92726
102726
112726
122726
132726
142826
152826
162826
172826
182826
192826
202826
212826
222826
232826
242826
252826
262826
272826
282826
292826
302826
312827

How May really feels in West Bay

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

West Bay weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 25°286.6117.7
Feb26° / 25°132.811.38.4
Mar26° / 25°163.911.98.3
Apr27° / 26°183.712.48.0
May28° / 26°9511.212.96.5
Jun28° / 27°10413.213.15.4
Jul29° / 27°6012.313.15.4
Aug29° / 27°9315.312.75.0
Sep29° / 27°13918.612.14.5
Oct28° / 27°2142011.64.7
Nov27° / 26°10812.111.16.4
Dec26° / 25°448.510.97.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18218
28218
38218
48218
58119
68020
78020
87921
97822
107723
117624
127426
137327
147129
157030
166832
176634
186535
196337
206238
216040
225941
235842
245743
255545
265446
275347
285149
295149
305050
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

West Bay gets around 95 mm of rain over 11.2 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 36% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
119
220
320
421
521
622
723
823
924
1026
1127
1228
1330
1432
1534
1637
1739
1841
1943
2044
2146
2247
2348
2448
2549
2649
2749
2849
2949
3048
3148

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 73% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1297811
2287812
3287812
4277912
5277912
6168112
7168112
8168112
9168013
10168013
11068113
12058114
13058114
14058015
15048016
16047917
17047818
18037720
19037522
20037324
21037126
22027028
23026830
24026632
25026335
26016237
27015940
28015643
29015346
30015049
31014851

Wind in May

Winds average 20 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
920breezy
1020breezy
1120breezy
1220breezy
1320breezy
1420breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720breezy
1820breezy
1920breezy
2020breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of May to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:02 AM to 5:51 AM, and sunset from 6:44 PM to 6:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.76:026:44
212.76:016:44
312.76:016:44
412.76:006:45
512.86:006:45
612.85:596:45
712.85:586:46
812.85:586:46
912.85:576:47
1012.85:576:47
1112.85:576:47
1212.95:566:48
1312.95:566:48
1412.95:556:48
1512.95:556:49
1612.95:546:49
1712.95:546:50
1812.95:546:50
1913.05:536:50
2013.05:536:51
2113.05:536:51
2213.05:526:52
2313.05:526:52
2413.05:526:52
2513.05:526:53
2613.05:526:53
2713.05:516:54
2813.05:516:54
2913.15:516:54
3013.15:516:55
3113.15:516:55

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.2 kWh/m² to a high of 6.75 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 6.52 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.8Intense
86.8Intense
96.8Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.4Intense
186.4Intense
196.4Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for West Bay

In seasonPeak

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

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

West Bay's rainy season runs September–November, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit West Bay?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit West Bay for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for West Bay in May

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

In May, West Bay sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 11 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near West Bay in May

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 30°C and coldest in February near 27°C.

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

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr27Warm
May28Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in West Bay 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 West Bay peaks around May 13 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMay 13UV 12Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in West Bay 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 West Bay is worst in June — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.1× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2127 µg/m³Jan 17 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr10Good
May14Moderate
Jun27Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is West Bay?

West Bay sits at 19.4°N, 81.4°W, 5 m above sea level, in Cayman Islands. The nearest listed city is George Town, 11 km away.

George Town

Topography around West Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around West Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10 m around an average of 2 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 24 m.

The land around West Bay is covered by water (59%) within 3 km, water (91%) within 16 km, and water (97%) within 80 km.

3 km
10 m
16 km
21 m
80 km
24 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
May weather nearby: George Town 11 km · Trinidad 306 km · Nueva Gerona 315 km · Condado 321 km · Cienfuegos 323 km · Cumanayagua 332 km · Abreus 333 km · Palmira 335 km

Cayman Islands travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 113% of US
price level, 2024
GDP per capita
$104,293
2024
Homicide rate
4.4
per 100k, 2020
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 61%none 17%Roman Catholic 14%other 5%

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 West Bay (19.382°, -81.3928°, elevation 5 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).