Colombia weather in May

In May, Colombia sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 148 mm of rain across 16.2 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of May to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Colombia's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Colombia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
5th warmest
Overnight low
23°
7th coldest
Rainfall
148 mm
16.2 wet days
Daylight
13 hours
5:36 AM – 6:36 PM
Cloud cover
56%
7th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month.

A typical May day in Colombia reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13223
23223
33223
43223
53223
63223
73223
83223
93223
103223
113223
123223
133223
143223
153223
163223
173223
183223
193223
203223
213223
223223
233223
243223
253223
263223
273224
283224
293224
303224
313224

How May really feels in Colombia

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Colombia 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 20°153.210.96.7
Feb30° / 20°172.911.36.4
Mar30° / 21°184.511.95.7
Apr32° / 22°437.512.54.6
May32° / 23°14816.2133.5
Jun32° / 24°12418.713.33.0
Jul33° / 25°9316.913.12.9
Aug33° / 25°11318.712.72.7
Sep32° / 24°13821.112.12.8
Oct31° / 24°1151811.53.7
Nov30° / 22°468.8115.4
Dec29° / 21°243.910.76.4

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 25% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27525
37525
47426
57426
67327
77228
87129
97030
106832
116634
126337
136238
145941
155842
165545
175347
185149
194951
204753
214753
224555
234456
244258
254159
264159
273961
283961
293961
303961
313763

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Colombia gets around 148 mm of rain over 16.2 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 rain averages around 52% and peaks near 67% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
236
336
436
536
637
737
839
940
1042
1143
1245
1348
1450
1552
1654
1756
1857
1959
2061
2162
2264
2365
2466
2566
2667
2767
2867
2967
3067
3167

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 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 93% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
131155310
231055320
331055320
42956330
52956330
62956330
72954350
82953360
92951380
101949400
111947420
121945450
131943480
141840510
151838530
161735570
170632620
180530641
190527671
200425701
210322741
220320752
230218782
240216802
250215803
260113833
270112834
280111835
290010855
30009856
31008866

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of May to 13 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:44 AM to 5:32 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:446:30
212.85:436:30
312.85:436:30
412.85:426:31
512.85:426:31
612.85:416:32
712.95:406:32
812.95:406:32
912.95:396:33
1012.95:396:33
1112.95:386:34
1212.95:386:34
1313.05:376:35
1413.05:376:35
1513.05:366:35
1613.05:366:36
1713.05:366:36
1813.05:356:37
1913.05:356:37
2013.05:356:38
2113.15:346:38
2213.15:346:38
2313.15:346:39
2413.15:336:39
2513.15:336:40
2613.15:336:40
2713.15:336:41
2813.15:326:41
2913.25:326:41
3013.25:326:42
3113.25:326:42

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.39 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.04 kWh/m² to a high of 6.82 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.39 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.6Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.4Intense
156.4Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Colombia

In seasonPeak

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

Colombia sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Colombia's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Colombia?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Colombia.

What to pack for Colombia in May

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

In May, Colombia sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Colombia in May

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 40 km away) is warmest in August at about 31°C and coldest in January near 25°C.

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

24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb25Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr27Warm
May29Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug31Tropical
Sep31Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov28Warm
Dec26Warm

UV index in Colombia in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Colombia peaks around June 16 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highHighJun 16UV 12Dec 14UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov7High
Dec6High

Air quality in Colombia 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 Colombia is worst in June — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.7× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2125 µg/m³Dec 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr13Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Colombia?

Colombia sits at 21.0°N, 77.4°W, 59 m above sea level, in Cuba. The nearest listed city is Guáimaro, 11 km away.

Nuevitas

Topography around Colombia

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Colombia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 36 m around an average of 67 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 177 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 317 m.

The land around Colombia is covered by grassland (53%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, trees (58%) and grassland (36%) within 16 km, and trees (41%), grassland (28%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
36 m
16 km
177 m
80 km
317 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
May weather nearby: Guáimaro 11 km · Jobabo 17 km · Amancio 24 km · Sibanicú 30 km · Las Tunas 49 km · Jimaguayú 50 km · Minas 59 km · Nuevitas 64 km

Cuba travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / C / L
110 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 39% of US
price level, 2011
GDP per capita
$9,605
2020
Happiness
5.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2011
Homicide rate
4.5
per 100k, 2019
Road deaths
8.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 515
Religion
Christian 59%none 23%folk religion 18%

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 Colombia (20.9855°, -77.4256°, elevation 59 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).