Lhasa weather in May

In May, Lhasa sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 72 mm of precipitation across 17.5 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 11°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of May to 13 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Lhasa's 7th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lhasa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
72 mm
17.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
7:07 AM – 8:36 PM
Cloud cover
56%
7th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
7.57 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Lhasa is prefecture-level city and capital of Tibet.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 16.8 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
4/km²
people per km²
Founded
~633 CE

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 11°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical May day in Lhasa reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 1°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

-10°10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
111-2
211-2
311-2
411-2
511-2
611-2
712-1
812-1
912-1
1012-1
11120
12120
13130
14130
15130
16131
17131
18131
19141
20142
21142
22142
23142
24142
25153
26153
27153
28153
29153
30154
31154

How May really feels in Lhasa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 19 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
19
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Lhasa weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -17°1044.910.30.0
Feb / -13°113.84.410.90.0
Mar / -9°247.77.511.80.1
Apr / -5°4713.29.312.71.5
May13° / 7217.56.313.53.1
Jun17° / 11220113.94.1
Jul17° / 16824.5013.73.5
Aug16° / 16724.30.113.13.3
Sep14° / 12622.11.112.23.0
Oct / -4°6115.87.211.31.8
Nov / -13°195.55.310.50.0
Dec-0° / -16°103.13.610.10.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 47% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25347
35446
45446
55545
65644
75743
85743
95941
105941
116040
126139
136238
146238
156337
166436
176436
186535
196634
206634
216634
226733
236733
246832
256832
266832
276832
286832
296832
306931
316931

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Lhasa gets around 72 mm of rain and snow over 17.5 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 57% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15230
25229
35228
45227
55226
65225
75325
85324
95323
105423
115423
125522
135522
145622
155722
165722
175821
185821
195921
205920
215919
226019
236018
246017
256016
266016
276015
286014
296013
306012
316011

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 5 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min at the start of May to 13 h 42 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 7:19 AM to 7:01 AM, and sunset from 8:27 PM to 8:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.17:198:27
213.27:188:27
313.27:178:28
413.27:168:29
513.27:158:29
613.37:158:30
713.37:148:31
813.37:138:31
913.37:128:32
1013.47:118:32
1113.47:118:33
1213.47:108:34
1313.47:098:34
1413.47:098:35
1513.57:088:36
1613.57:078:36
1713.57:078:37
1813.57:068:38
1913.57:068:38
2013.67:058:39
2113.67:058:39
2213.67:048:40
2313.67:048:41
2413.67:038:41
2513.77:038:42
2613.77:028:43
2713.77:028:43
2813.77:028:44
2913.77:018:44
3013.77:018:45
3113.77:018:45

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.57 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.34 kWh/m² to a high of 7.57 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 7.57 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.6Intense
27.6Intense
37.6Intense
47.6Intense
57.6Intense
67.6Intense
77.6Intense
87.6Intense
97.6Intense
107.6Intense
117.6Intense
127.6Intense
137.6Intense
147.6Intense
157.6Intense
167.6Intense
177.6Intense
187.6Intense
197.6Intense
207.6Intense
217.5Intense
227.5Intense
237.5Intense
247.5Intense
257.5Intense
267.5Intense
277.5Intense
287.5Intense
297.5Intense
307.5Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Lhasa

In seasonPeak

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

Lhasa's rainy season runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Lhasa?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lhasa.

What to pack for Lhasa in May

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

In May, Lhasa sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 1°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 18 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectiona warm layer

UV index in Lhasa in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lhasa peaks around June 18 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighExtremeVery highHighJun 18UV 16Dec 23UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5Moderate
Feb7High
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun16Extreme
Jul15Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov7Very high
Dec5Moderate

Air quality in Lhasa 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 Lhasa is worst in April — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (September, 11 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Lhasa's WHO annual average of 16.8 µg/m³.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodGoodApr 1529 µg/m³Sep 2211 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr30Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct11Good
Nov12Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lhasa?

Lhasa sits at 29.6°N, 91.1°E, 3,651 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Jakar, 236 km away.

Topography around Lhasa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lhasa has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 608 m around an average of 3,677 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,964 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,633 m.

The land around Lhasa is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and grassland (32%) within 3 km, grassland (73%) within 16 km, and grassland (83%) within 80 km.

3 km
608 m
16 km
1,964 m
80 km
2,633 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Jakar 236 km · Trongsa 246 km · Punakha 258 km · Trashigang 261 km · Mongar 264 km · Thimphu 282 km · Paro 297 km · Tsirang 307 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 Lhasa (29.65°, 91.1°, elevation 3,651 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. 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).