Xiamen weather in May
In May, Xiamen sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 184 mm of rain across 16.1 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.
Highs climb over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 28°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of May to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Xiamen's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Xiamen's year-round climate.
- Daytime high
- 28°
- 6th warmest
- Overnight low
- 22°
- 8th coldest
- Rainfall
- 184 mm
- 16.1 wet days
- Daylight
- 13 h 12 min
- 5:28 AM – 6:39 PM
- Cloud cover
- 73%
- 11th clearest
- Wind
- 9 km/h
- 11th windiest
- Solar energy
- 4.6 kWh/m²
- Travel score
- 5.3
- out of 10
Xiamen is prefecture-level city in Fujian, China.
- Air quality
- High
- PM2.5 25.2 µg/m³ · 2018
- Density
- 2,717/km²
- people per km²
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Temperature in May
Highs climb over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 28°C by the end.
A typical May day in Xiamen reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 2°C cooler than June.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 |
| Avg low (°C) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | 20 |
| 2 | 26 | 20 |
| 3 | 26 | 20 |
| 4 | 27 | 20 |
| 5 | 27 | 20 |
| 6 | 27 | 21 |
| 7 | 27 | 21 |
| 8 | 27 | 21 |
| 9 | 27 | 21 |
| 10 | 27 | 21 |
| 11 | 27 | 21 |
| 12 | 27 | 21 |
| 13 | 27 | 21 |
| 14 | 27 | 21 |
| 15 | 28 | 22 |
| 16 | 28 | 22 |
| 17 | 28 | 22 |
| 18 | 28 | 22 |
| 19 | 28 | 22 |
| 20 | 28 | 22 |
| 21 | 28 | 22 |
| 22 | 28 | 22 |
| 23 | 28 | 22 |
| 24 | 28 | 22 |
| 25 | 28 | 23 |
| 26 | 28 | 23 |
| 27 | 28 | 23 |
| 28 | 28 | 23 |
| 29 | 28 | 23 |
| 30 | 29 | 23 |
| 31 | 29 | 23 |
How May really feels in Xiamen
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.
May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Xiamen weather by month
How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18° / 10° | 40 | 5.6 | 10.7 | 6.4 |
| Feb | 18° / 11° | 60 | 8.7 | 11.1 | 6.0 |
| Mar | 20° / 14° | 89 | 11.7 | 11.8 | 6.0 |
| Apr | 24° / 18° | 108 | 12.8 | 12.6 | 6.1 |
| May | 28° / 22° | 184 | 16.1 | 13.2 | 5.3 |
| Jun | 30° / 25° | 245 | 19.7 | 13.5 | 3.7 |
| Jul | 31° / 26° | 188 | 17.1 | 13.4 | 3.5 |
| Aug | 31° / 26° | 251 | 19.7 | 12.9 | 3.4 |
| Sep | 30° / 24° | 131 | 12.3 | 12.2 | 4.7 |
| Oct | 28° / 21° | 44 | 3.8 | 11.4 | 7.3 |
| Nov | 24° / 17° | 49 | 4.7 | 10.8 | 7.9 |
| Dec | 20° / 12° | 42 | 5 | 10.5 | 7.2 |
Cloud cover in May
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in May.
Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 31 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 |
| Cloudier (%) | 69 | 68 | 68 | 69 | 68 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 73 | 74 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 77 | 78 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 | 69 |
| 2 | 32 | 68 |
| 3 | 32 | 68 |
| 4 | 31 | 69 |
| 5 | 32 | 68 |
| 6 | 33 | 67 |
| 7 | 33 | 67 |
| 8 | 33 | 67 |
| 9 | 33 | 67 |
| 10 | 33 | 67 |
| 11 | 33 | 67 |
| 12 | 33 | 67 |
| 13 | 32 | 68 |
| 14 | 32 | 68 |
| 15 | 32 | 68 |
| 16 | 32 | 68 |
| 17 | 31 | 69 |
| 18 | 30 | 70 |
| 19 | 29 | 71 |
| 20 | 29 | 71 |
| 21 | 28 | 72 |
| 22 | 27 | 73 |
| 23 | 27 | 73 |
| 24 | 26 | 74 |
| 25 | 24 | 76 |
| 26 | 24 | 76 |
| 27 | 24 | 76 |
| 28 | 24 | 76 |
| 29 | 24 | 76 |
| 30 | 23 | 77 |
| 31 | 22 | 78 |
Chance of precipitation in May
Xiamen gets around 184 mm of rain over 16.1 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 51% and peaks near 56% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain chance (%) | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 49 | 49 | 50 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 54 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 56 | 56 |
| Rain chance (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 48 |
| 2 | 48 |
| 3 | 48 |
| 4 | 48 |
| 5 | 48 |
| 6 | 48 |
| 7 | 48 |
| 8 | 48 |
| 9 | 48 |
| 10 | 48 |
| 11 | 48 |
| 12 | 48 |
| 13 | 48 |
| 14 | 48 |
| 15 | 49 |
| 16 | 49 |
| 17 | 50 |
| 18 | 50 |
| 19 | 51 |
| 20 | 52 |
| 21 | 53 |
| 22 | 54 |
| 23 | 54 |
| 24 | 55 |
| 25 | 55 |
| 26 | 55 |
| 27 | 55 |
| 28 | 55 |
| 29 | 55 |
| 30 | 56 |
| 31 | 56 |
Humidity in May
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 36% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 77% of them.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Comfortable (%) | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Humid (%) | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| Muggy (%) | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 |
| Oppressive (%) | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 37 | 37 | 38 | 38 | 39 | 39 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 38 | 38 | 37 | 37 |
| Miserable (%) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 31 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 12 | 22 | 31 | 27 | 1 |
| 2 | 7 | 12 | 22 | 31 | 28 | 1 |
| 3 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 31 | 29 | 1 |
| 4 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 31 | 30 | 2 |
| 5 | 5 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 32 | 2 |
| 6 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 31 | 33 | 3 |
| 7 | 4 | 9 | 20 | 30 | 34 | 3 |
| 8 | 4 | 8 | 20 | 30 | 34 | 4 |
| 9 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 30 | 35 | 4 |
| 10 | 3 | 7 | 19 | 30 | 36 | 5 |
| 11 | 3 | 6 | 19 | 30 | 36 | 5 |
| 12 | 3 | 6 | 19 | 30 | 36 | 6 |
| 13 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 30 | 37 | 7 |
| 14 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 31 | 37 | 7 |
| 15 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 31 | 38 | 8 |
| 16 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 31 | 38 | 9 |
| 17 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 31 | 39 | 9 |
| 18 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 31 | 39 | 10 |
| 19 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 30 | 40 | 11 |
| 20 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 30 | 40 | 12 |
| 21 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 30 | 40 | 14 |
| 22 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 29 | 40 | 15 |
| 23 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 29 | 40 | 16 |
| 24 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 28 | 40 | 18 |
| 25 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 28 | 39 | 19 |
| 26 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 27 | 39 | 21 |
| 27 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 27 | 39 | 23 |
| 28 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 26 | 38 | 25 |
| 29 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 25 | 38 | 27 |
| 30 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 24 | 37 | 29 |
| 31 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 23 | 37 | 31 |
Wind in May
Winds average 9 km/h in May.
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.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | calm |
| 2 | 9 | calm |
| 3 | 9 | calm |
| 4 | 9 | calm |
| 5 | 9 | calm |
| 6 | 9 | calm |
| 7 | 9 | calm |
| 8 | 9 | calm |
| 9 | 9 | calm |
| 10 | 9 | calm |
| 11 | 9 | calm |
| 12 | 9 | calm |
| 13 | 9 | calm |
| 14 | 9 | calm |
| 15 | 9 | calm |
| 16 | 9 | calm |
| 17 | 9 | calm |
| 18 | 9 | calm |
| 19 | 9 | calm |
| 20 | 9 | calm |
| 21 | 9 | calm |
| 22 | 9 | calm |
| 23 | 9 | calm |
| 24 | 9 | calm |
| 25 | 9 | calm |
| 26 | 9 | calm |
| 27 | 9 | calm |
| 28 | 9 | calm |
| 29 | 9 | calm |
| 30 | 9 | calm |
| 31 | 9 | calm |
Sunrise & sunset in May
Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of May to 13 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Days grow by about 30 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:38 AM to 5:23 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 6:47 PM.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 12.9 | 12.9 | 12.9 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:38 | 5:37 | 5:36 | 5:36 | 5:35 | 5:34 | 5:34 | 5:33 | 5:32 | 5:32 | 5:31 | 5:31 | 5:30 | 5:29 | 5:29 | 5:28 | 5:28 | 5:27 | 5:27 | 5:27 | 5:26 | 5:26 | 5:25 | 5:25 | 5:25 | 5:25 | 5:24 | 5:24 | 5:24 | 5:23 | 5:23 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:32 | 6:32 | 6:33 | 6:33 | 6:34 | 6:34 | 6:35 | 6:35 | 6:36 | 6:36 | 6:37 | 6:37 | 6:38 | 6:38 | 6:39 | 6:39 | 6:40 | 6:40 | 6:41 | 6:41 | 6:42 | 6:42 | 6:43 | 6:43 | 6:44 | 6:44 | 6:45 | 6:45 | 6:46 | 6:46 | 6:47 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12.9 | 5:38 | 6:32 |
| 2 | 12.9 | 5:37 | 6:32 |
| 3 | 12.9 | 5:36 | 6:33 |
| 4 | 13.0 | 5:36 | 6:33 |
| 5 | 13.0 | 5:35 | 6:34 |
| 6 | 13.0 | 5:34 | 6:34 |
| 7 | 13.0 | 5:34 | 6:35 |
| 8 | 13.0 | 5:33 | 6:35 |
| 9 | 13.1 | 5:32 | 6:36 |
| 10 | 13.1 | 5:32 | 6:36 |
| 11 | 13.1 | 5:31 | 6:37 |
| 12 | 13.1 | 5:31 | 6:37 |
| 13 | 13.1 | 5:30 | 6:38 |
| 14 | 13.1 | 5:29 | 6:38 |
| 15 | 13.2 | 5:29 | 6:39 |
| 16 | 13.2 | 5:28 | 6:39 |
| 17 | 13.2 | 5:28 | 6:40 |
| 18 | 13.2 | 5:27 | 6:40 |
| 19 | 13.2 | 5:27 | 6:41 |
| 20 | 13.2 | 5:27 | 6:41 |
| 21 | 13.3 | 5:26 | 6:42 |
| 22 | 13.3 | 5:26 | 6:42 |
| 23 | 13.3 | 5:25 | 6:43 |
| 24 | 13.3 | 5:25 | 6:43 |
| 25 | 13.3 | 5:25 | 6:44 |
| 26 | 13.3 | 5:25 | 6:44 |
| 27 | 13.3 | 5:24 | 6:45 |
| 28 | 13.4 | 5:24 | 6:45 |
| 29 | 13.4 | 5:24 | 6:46 |
| 30 | 13.4 | 5:23 | 6:46 |
| 31 | 13.4 | 5:23 | 6:47 |
Solar energy in May
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.6 kWh/m².
For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.12 kWh/m² to a high of 5.63 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 4.6 kWh/m² falls in the middle.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 2 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 3 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 4 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 5 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 6 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 7 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 8 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 9 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 10 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 11 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 12 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 13 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 14 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 15 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 16 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 17 | 4.7 | Bright |
| 18 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 19 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 20 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 21 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 22 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 23 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 24 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 25 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 26 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 27 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 28 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 29 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 30 | 4.6 | Bright |
| 31 | 4.6 | Bright |
Hazard calendar for Xiamen
In May, Xiamen sits inside its pacific typhoon and monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Xiamen sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Xiamen's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is May a good time to visit Xiamen?
Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).
May is a reasonable time to visit Xiamen for sightseeing.
What to pack for Xiamen in May
From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In May, Xiamen sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 16 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Xiamen in May
The nearest coast averages about 23°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 28°C and coldest in February near 15°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 20 to Nov 29 — about 7.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 16 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 18 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Cool |
| Feb | 15 | Cool |
| Mar | 17 | Cool |
| Apr | 20 | Cool |
| May | 23 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 26 | Warm |
| Jul | 27 | Warm |
| Aug | 28 | Warm |
| Sep | 27 | Warm |
| Oct | 25 | Warm |
| Nov | 22 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 18 | Cool |
UV index in Xiamen in May
Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Xiamen peaks around June 18 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 5 (high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| Level | High | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | High |
| Feb | 7 | High |
| Mar | 9 | Very high |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Extreme |
| Oct | 8 | Very high |
| Nov | 6 | High |
| Dec | 5 | High |
Air quality in Xiamen in May
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Xiamen is worst in January — around 33 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (July, 16 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Xiamen's WHO annual average of 25.2 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 33 | 32 | 33 | 29 | 24 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 27 | 28 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | Moderate |
| Feb | 32 | Moderate |
| Mar | 33 | Moderate |
| Apr | 29 | Moderate |
| May | 24 | Moderate |
| Jun | 18 | Moderate |
| Jul | 16 | Moderate |
| Aug | 19 | Moderate |
| Sep | 22 | Moderate |
| Oct | 21 | Moderate |
| Nov | 27 | Moderate |
| Dec | 28 | Moderate |
Where is Xiamen?
Xiamen sits at 24.5°N, 118.1°E, 12 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Jincheng, 24 km away.
Topography around Xiamen
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Xiamen.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Xiamen has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 213 m around an average of 19 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 460 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,439 m.
The land around Xiamen is covered by artificial surfaces (46%), water (31%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, water (46%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and water (33%) within 80 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
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 Xiamen (24.4798°, 118.0819°, elevation 12 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).