Dali weather in May

In May, Dali sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 90 mm of rain across 10.7 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of May to 13 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Dali's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dali's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
14°
8th coldest
Rainfall
90 mm
10.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
6:38 AM – 7:53 PM
Cloud cover
62%
8th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10
Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 17.6 µg/m³ · 2019

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 24°C through the month.

A typical May day in Dali reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C warmer than April and on par with June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12412
22412
32413
42413
52413
62413
72413
82413
92413
102413
112414
122414
132414
142414
152414
162414
172414
182414
192415
202515
212515
222515
232515
242515
252515
262516
272516
282516
292516
302516
312516

Dali weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 254.510.65.5
Feb17° / 224.811.16.5
Mar20° / 29611.87.3
Apr23° / 11°375.912.67.5
May24° / 14°9010.713.26.8
Jun25° / 17°17421.713.64.7
Jul24° / 17°27228.813.43.8
Aug24° / 17°27526.812.94.1
Sep23° / 15°18424.512.24.3
Oct21° / 13°9715.711.45.6
Nov18° / 264.710.86.7
Dec15° / 132.910.45.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45446
55347
65347
75248
85248
95149
105149
114951
124951
134951
144951
155050
164951
174951
184951
194951
204753
214753
224753
234654
244654
254555
264555
274456
284357
294159
304159
313862

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Dali gets around 90 mm of rain over 10.7 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 35% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
225
325
425
526
626
726
827
927
1028
1129
1229
1330
1431
1531
1632
1733
1834
1935
2037
2138
2239
2341
2442
2544
2645
2746
2848
2949
3050
3152

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 74% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19730
29640
39640
49550
59550
69460
79370
89370
99280
109190
1189101
1287121
1386131
1485141
1582162
1680182
1779192
1876213
1973243
2070264
2166295
2264315
2360346
2457367
2554388
2650419
2748439
28454510
29424711
30394913
31365014

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
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of May to 13 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:48 AM to 6:33 AM, and sunset from 7:45 PM to 8:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.96:487:45
213.06:477:45
313.06:467:46
413.06:467:46
513.06:457:47
613.16:447:47
713.16:437:48
813.16:437:48
913.16:427:49
1013.16:417:50
1113.26:417:50
1213.26:407:51
1313.26:407:51
1413.26:397:52
1513.26:397:52
1613.26:387:53
1713.36:387:53
1813.36:377:54
1913.36:377:54
2013.36:367:55
2113.36:367:55
2213.36:357:56
2313.46:357:56
2413.46:357:57
2513.46:347:57
2613.46:347:58
2713.46:347:59
2813.46:337:59
2913.46:338:00
3013.56:338:00
3113.56:338:00

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.69 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 5.75 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Intense
86.0Intense
96.0Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Dali

In seasonPeak

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

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

Dali's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Dali?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Dali for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dali in May

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

In May, Dali sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Dali 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 Dali peaks around June 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighJun 20UV 14Dec 22UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb8Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun15Extreme
Jul14Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec6High

Air quality in Dali 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 Dali is worst in April — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (June, 13 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Dali's WHO annual average of 17.6 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 1123 µg/m³Jun 2313 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan19Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov19Moderate
Dec19Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Dali?

Dali sits at 25.6°N, 100.2°E, 1,977 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Lijiang, 143 km away.

Topography around Dali

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dali has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 970 m around an average of 2,123 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,663 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,847 m.

The land around Dali is covered by trees (49%) and artificial surfaces (40%) within 3 km, trees (57%) within 16 km, and trees (58%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
970 m
16 km
2,663 m
80 km
2,847 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Lijiang 143 km · Panglong 253 km · Shangri-La 254 km · Laukkai 256 km · Kunming 259 km · Myitkyina 284 km · Mu-se 293 km · Lakang 321 km

China travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / I
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 47% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$13,862
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.5
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
17.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 464
Religion
unaffiliated 52%folk religion 22%Buddhist 18%Christian 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 Dali (25.5847°, 100.2123°, elevation 1,977 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).