Avarua weather in May

In May, Avarua sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 125 mm of rain across 12.7 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of May to 10 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Avarua's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Avarua's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
6th warmest
Overnight low
24°
7th coldest
Rainfall
125 mm
12.7 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
7:06 AM – 6:05 PM
Cloud cover
64%
8th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Avarua is capital city of the Cook Islands.

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 25°C through the month.

A typical May day in Avarua reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12624
22624
32624
42524
52524
62524
72524
82524
92524
102524
112524
122524
132524
142524
152524
162524
172524
182524
192524
202524
212524
222524
232524
242524
252524
262524
272524
282524
292524
302524
312523

Avarua weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 25°21318.113.15.3
Feb27° / 25°1781712.75.1
Mar27° / 25°18618.612.15.3
Apr26° / 25°1531511.55.8
May25° / 24°12512.7116.3
Jun24° / 23°648.210.77.1
Jul23° / 22°989.210.87.1
Aug23° / 22°728.311.37.1
Sep23° / 22°738.411.97.1
Oct24° / 23°878.812.57.0
Nov25° / 24°10810.7136.6
Dec26° / 25°18914.513.35.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34357
44357
54258
64357
74456
84357
94456
104456
114456
124555
134456
144456
154555
164555
174456
184456
194456
204456
214456
224357
234357
244357
254258
264258
274258
284258
294258
304258
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Avarua gets around 125 mm of rain over 12.7 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 41% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
148
248
347
446
545
645
744
844
944
1043
1143
1242
1342
1442
1541
1641
1741
1840
1940
2040
2139
2239
2338
2438
2537
2637
2736
2836
2936
3035
3135

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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 37% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 72% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
121634471
221634461
321734461
431734451
531734451
631734441
741734440
841834430
951834430
1051834420
1161834410
1271934400
1372034390
1482034380
1582134370
1692233360
1792233350
18102333340
19102333340
20102333330
21112333330
22112333330
23112334330
24112334320
25112335320
26112235320
27102236310
28102237310
29102237300
30112138300
31112138290

Wind in May

Winds average 23 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 23 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
124breezy
224breezy
324breezy
424breezy
524breezy
624breezy
724breezy
824breezy
924breezy
1024breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1623breezy
1723breezy
1823breezy
1923breezy
2023breezy
2123breezy
2223breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of May to 10 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:59 AM to 7:12 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:596:13
211.27:006:13
311.27:006:12
411.27:016:11
511.27:016:11
611.17:016:10
711.17:026:10
811.17:026:09
911.17:036:08
1011.17:036:08
1111.17:036:07
1211.17:046:07
1311.07:046:06
1411.07:056:06
1511.07:056:06
1611.07:066:05
1711.07:066:05
1811.07:066:04
1911.07:076:04
2010.97:076:04
2110.97:086:03
2210.97:086:03
2310.97:096:03
2410.97:096:02
2510.97:096:02
2610.97:106:02
2710.97:106:02
2810.87:116:01
2910.87:116:01
3010.87:126:01
3110.87:126:01

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.44 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 3.75 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Bright
24.0Bright
34.0Bright
44.0Moderate
54.0Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.8Moderate
153.8Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.5Moderate
293.5Moderate
303.5Moderate
313.5Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Avarua?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Avarua for sightseeing.

What to pack for Avarua in May

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

In May, Avarua sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 24°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Avarua in May

The nearest coast averages about 26°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 14 km away) is warmest in March at about 28°C and coldest in August near 24°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

22°24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr27Warm
May26Warm
Jun25Warm
Jul25Warm
Aug24Warm
Sep24Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov26Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in Avarua 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 Avarua peaks around February 13 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeFeb 13UV 16Jul 10UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr9Very high
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Avarua?

Avarua sits at 21.2°S, 159.8°W, 7 m above sea level, in Cook Islands. The nearest listed city is Bora Bora, 994 km away.

Topography around Avarua

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Avarua has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 440 m around an average of 65 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 495 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 478 m.

The land around Avarua is covered by trees (49%) and water (41%) within 3 km, water (92%) within 16 km, and water (98%) within 80 km.

3 km
440 m
16 km
495 m
80 km
478 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Bora Bora 994 km · Alofi 1,086 km · Moorea 1,120 km · Punaauia 1,138 km · Faaa 1,141 km · Papeete 1,146 km · Pago Pago 1,389 km · Apia 1,512 km

Cook Islands travel facts

Power plugs
Type I
240 V · 50 Hz
Religion
Protestant 55%Roman Catholic 17%none/unspecified 16%other 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 Avarua (-21.2075°, -159.7755°, elevation 7 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).