Urumqi weather in May

In May, Urumqi sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 54 mm of precipitation across 7.9 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 23°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 15 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Urumqi's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Urumqi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
5th warmest
Overnight low
10°
8th coldest
Precipitation
54 mm
7.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
4:50 AM – 7:22 PM
Cloud cover
58%
11th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Urumqi is capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China.

Air quality
Severe
PM2.5 65.7 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
220/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

Highs climb over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 23°C by the end.

A typical May day in Urumqi reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1198
2198
3198
4198
5198
6198
7199
8209
9209
10209
11209
12209
132010
142110
152110
162110
172110
182110
192111
202211
212211
222211
232211
242212
252212
262312
272312
282313
292313
302313
312413

How May really feels in Urumqi

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.

Urumqi weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-7° / -16°72.32.89.10.0
Feb-3° / -12°1233.710.20.0
Mar / -4°255.44.111.60.9
Apr15° / 497.72.413.25.1
May21° / 10°547.90.614.56.8
Jun26° / 16°407015.27.1
Jul27° / 18°436.5014.96.9
Aug26° / 16°426.6013.87.3
Sep21° / 10°355.70.212.37.4
Oct13° / 345.92.610.84.4
Nov / -6°245.34.99.50.4
Dec-5° / -13°133.23.78.80.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 52%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25050
35050
44951
54951
64951
74951
85050
95050
104951
114852
124852
134852
144852
154852
164852
174852
184753
194654
204654
214654
224654
234654
244555
254654
264555
274555
284654
294555
304555
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Urumqi gets around 54 mm of rain and snow over 7.9 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 25% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1293
2293
3293
4293
5293
6293
7283
8283
9273
10272
11262
12262
13262
14252
15252
16251
17251
18241
19241
20241
21241
22241
23231
24231
25231
26231
27231
28221
29220
30220
31220

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 11 km/h in May, the windiest month of the year.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:09 AM to 4:37 AM, and sunset from 7:04 PM to 7:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:097:04
214.05:087:05
314.05:067:07
414.05:057:08
514.15:047:09
614.15:027:10
714.25:017:11
814.25:007:13
914.34:587:14
1014.34:577:15
1114.34:567:16
1214.44:557:17
1314.44:537:18
1414.54:527:19
1514.54:517:21
1614.54:507:22
1714.64:497:23
1814.64:487:24
1914.64:477:25
2014.74:467:26
2114.74:457:27
2214.74:447:28
2314.84:437:29
2414.84:427:30
2514.84:417:31
2614.94:417:32
2714.94:407:33
2814.94:397:34
2914.94:387:35
3015.04:387:36
3115.04:377:37

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.45 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.03 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.45 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
136.4Intense
146.4Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Urumqi?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Urumqi for sightseeing.

What to pack for Urumqi in May

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

In May, Urumqi sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 10°C. Pack sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

sun protection

UV index in Urumqi in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Urumqi peaks around July 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 19UV 9Jan 10UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Urumqi 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 Urumqi is worst in March — around 77 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Urumqi's WHO annual average of 65.7 µg/m³.

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyMar 1777 µg/m³Sep 2254 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan77Unhealthy
Feb73Unhealthy
Mar77Unhealthy
Apr73Unhealthy
May77Unhealthy
Jun61Unhealthy
Jul53Poor
Aug60Unhealthy
Sep54Poor
Oct55Poor
Nov59Unhealthy
Dec69Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Urumqi?

Urumqi sits at 43.8°N, 87.6°E, 862 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Turpan, 159 km away.

ZaysanMaqanshyKhovdÖlgiiZharkentSarqantAltay

Topography around Urumqi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Urumqi has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 m around an average of 881 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,040 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,842 m.

The land around Urumqi is covered by artificial surfaces (79%) within 3 km, grassland (36%), artificial surfaces (32%) and bare terrain (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (43%) and bare terrain (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
253 m
16 km
1,040 m
80 km
4,842 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Turpan 159 km · Zaysan 459 km · Maqanshy 548 km · Khovd 562 km · Ölgii 602 km · Zharkent 609 km · Sarqant 634 km · Altay 707 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 Urumqi (43.801°, 87.6005°, elevation 862 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).