Turpan weather in May

In May, Turpan sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 7 mm of rain across 1.6 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 31°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Turpan's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Turpan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
4th warmest
Overnight low
18°
9th coldest
Rainfall
7 mm
1.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
4:46 AM – 7:13 PM
Cloud cover
52%
11th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10
Air quality
Severe
PM2.5 62.5 µg/m³ · 2018

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 27°C in the first days to 31°C by the end.

A typical May day in Turpan reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12616
22616
32716
42716
52716
62717
72717
82717
92817
102817
112817
122818
132818
142818
152918
162918
172918
182919
192919
203019
213019
223019
233020
243020
253120
263120
273120
283121
293121
303121
313221

How May really feels in Turpan

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.

Turpan weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -9°10.30.49.20.0
Feb / -5°20.60.710.20.3
Mar13° / 20.70.311.64.6
Apr23° / 12°41.30.113.18.2
May29° / 18°71.6014.46.7
Jun34° / 23°92.2015.13.8
Jul35° / 26°101.9014.82.8
Aug34° / 24°71.2013.83.8
Sep28° / 18°40.8012.37.5
Oct19° / 51.30.110.87.5
Nov / 20.60.49.51.8
Dec-1° / -7°10.20.48.90.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26139
36040
45941
55941
65941
75941
85842
95842
105842
115842
125842
135842
145842
155842
165842
175842
185941
195941
205941
215842
225941
235941
245842
255842
265941
275842
285842
295842
305743
315743

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Turpan gets around 7 mm of rain over 1.6 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 5% and peaks near 8% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
17
27
38
48
58
67
77
87
97
106
116
126
136
145
155
165
174
184
194
204
213
223
233
243
253
263
273
283
294
304
314

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May, the windiest month of the year.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:05 AM to 4:34 AM, and sunset from 6:56 PM to 7:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:056:56
213.95:036:57
313.95:026:59
414.05:017:00
514.04:597:01
614.14:587:02
714.14:577:03
814.14:557:04
914.24:547:05
1014.24:537:07
1114.34:527:08
1214.34:507:09
1314.34:497:10
1414.44:487:11
1514.44:477:12
1614.54:467:13
1714.54:457:14
1814.54:447:15
1914.64:437:16
2014.64:427:17
2114.64:417:18
2214.74:407:19
2314.74:397:20
2414.74:397:21
2514.74:387:22
2614.84:377:23
2714.84:367:24
2814.84:367:25
2914.94:357:26
3014.94:347:27
3114.94:347:28

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.98 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.07 kWh/m² to a high of 6.98 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 6.98 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.7Intense
36.7Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.8Intense
86.8Intense
96.8Intense
106.8Intense
116.9Intense
126.9Intense
136.9Intense
146.9Intense
157.0Intense
167.0Intense
177.0Intense
187.0Intense
197.1Intense
207.1Intense
217.1Intense
227.1Intense
237.1Intense
247.1Intense
257.2Intense
267.2Intense
277.2Intense
287.2Intense
297.2Intense
307.2Intense
317.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Turpan

In seasonPeak

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

Turpan sees seasonal dust haze (April–June), heaviest in May.

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

Is May a good time to visit Turpan?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
8.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Turpan in May

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

In May, Turpan sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Turpan in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Turpan peaks around July 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 18UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May5Moderate
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Turpan 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 Turpan is worst in May — around 104 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 31 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Turpan's WHO annual average of 62.5 µg/m³.

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyPoorModerateMay 14101 µg/m³Dec 1632 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan42Poor
Feb60Unhealthy
Mar84Unhealthy
Apr88Unhealthy
May104Unhealthy
Jun71Unhealthy
Jul59Unhealthy
Aug72Unhealthy
Sep49Poor
Oct49Poor
Nov40Poor
Dec31Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Turpan?

Turpan sits at 42.9°N, 89.2°E, 41 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Urumqi, 159 km away.

DunhuangKhovdZaysanÖlgiiAltaiMaqanshyZharkent

Topography around Turpan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Turpan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 91 m around an average of 37 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 636 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,479 m.

The land around Turpan is covered by cropland (41%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, bare terrain (66%) and cropland (21%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (77%) within 80 km.

3 km
91 m
16 km
636 m
80 km
4,479 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Urumqi 159 km · Dunhuang 552 km · Khovd 594 km · Zaysan 605 km · Ölgii 672 km · Altai 677 km · Maqanshy 707 km · Zharkent 751 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 Turpan (42.9477°, 89.1789°, elevation 41 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).