Paphos weather in May

In May, Paphos sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 10 mm of rain across 2.5 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 24°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Paphos's 6th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Paphos's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
6th warmest
Overnight low
18°
7th coldest
Rainfall
10 mm
2.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
4:52 AM – 6:41 PM
Cloud cover
23%
6th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
7.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.7
out of 10

Paphos is town in Cyprus.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 15.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,988/km²
people per km²
Founded
~299 BCE

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 21°C in the first days to 24°C by the end.

A typical May day in Paphos reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12017
22117
32117
42117
52117
62117
72117
82117
92118
102218
112218
122218
132218
142218
152218
162218
172219
182319
192319
202319
212319
222319
232319
242319
252319
262319
272320
282420
292420
302420
312420

Paphos weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 11°76109.94.6
Feb15° / 11°558.110.74.7
Mar16° / 13°356.411.75.8
Apr19° / 15°194.312.87.3
May22° / 18°102.513.88.7
Jun26° / 22°20.514.39.2
Jul29° / 25°00.114.18.1
Aug29° / 25°00.113.37.7
Sep27° / 23°41.112.28.8
Oct24° / 21°163.511.18.7
Nov20° / 17°415.710.27.4
Dec16° / 13°799.79.75.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% 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 10%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18416
28515
38515
48515
58515
68515
78515
88515
98614
108713
118713
128812
138812
149010
159010
169010
17919
18928
19928
20937
21937
22937
23946
24946
25955
26955
27955
28964
29964
30964
31973

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Paphos gets around 10 mm of rain over 2.5 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 7% and peaks near 10% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
19
29
39
410
510
610
710
810
910
1010
1110
1210
139
149
158
168
177
187
196
206
215
225
235
245
255
265
275
284
294
304
314

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 50% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1385570
2345880
3316090
42861110
52563120
62363140
72163160
81964170
91764190
101663210
111463230
121362250
131261270
141160290
151058320
16858340
17755371
18752401
19651421
20549451
21546481
22444511
23441532
24439552
25336592
26334603
27331633
28329644
29226675
30224686
31222697

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

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 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:06 AM to 4:44 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:066:29
213.45:056:30
313.45:046:31
413.55:036:31
513.55:026:32
613.55:016:33
713.65:006:34
813.64:596:35
913.64:586:35
1013.74:576:36
1113.74:566:37
1213.74:556:38
1313.74:546:39
1413.84:546:39
1513.84:536:40
1613.84:526:41
1713.84:516:42
1813.94:516:43
1913.94:506:43
2013.94:496:44
2113.94:496:45
2214.04:486:46
2314.04:476:46
2414.04:476:47
2514.04:466:48
2614.04:466:48
2714.14:456:49
2814.14:456:50
2914.14:446:51
3014.14:446:51
3114.14:446:52

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.56 kWh/m² to a high of 7.88 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.28 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.9Intense
26.9Intense
36.9Intense
47.0Intense
57.0Intense
67.0Intense
77.0Intense
87.0Intense
97.1Intense
107.1Intense
117.1Intense
127.2Intense
137.2Intense
147.2Intense
157.3Intense
167.3Intense
177.3Intense
187.4Intense
197.4Intense
207.4Intense
217.5Intense
227.5Intense
237.5Intense
247.5Intense
257.6Intense
267.6Intense
277.6Intense
287.6Intense
297.7Intense
307.7Intense
317.7Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Paphos?

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

8.7
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.1
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Paphos for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Paphos in May

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

In May, Paphos sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 18°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Paphos in May

The nearest coast averages about 21°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 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 11 to Dec 7 — about 6.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr18Cool
May21Refreshing
Jun24Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov22Refreshing
Dec19Cool

UV index in Paphos in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Paphos peaks around August 10 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateAug 10UV 10Jan 1UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Paphos 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 Paphos is worst in March — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (December, 12 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Paphos's WHO annual average of 15.4 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 1819 µg/m³Dec 1513 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar20Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Paphos?

Paphos sits at 34.8°N, 32.4°E, 81 m above sea level, in Cyprus. The nearest listed city is Káto Polemídia, 53 km away.

Káto PolemídiaLimassolGermasógeiaMórfouLefkaraKáto LakatámeiaStróvolosNicosia

Topography around Paphos

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Paphos has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 m around an average of 68 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 682 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,946 m.

The land around Paphos is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) within 3 km, water (51%) and grassland (29%) within 16 km, and water (62%) within 80 km.

3 km
190 m
16 km
682 m
80 km
1,946 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Káto Polemídia 53 km · Limassol 57 km · Germasógeia 61 km · Mórfou 70 km · Lefkara 79 km · Káto Lakatámeia 90 km · Stróvolos 93 km · Nicosia 95 km

Cyprus travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type G
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$41,783
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 537
Religion
Eastern Orthodox Christian 89%Roman Catholic 3%Protestant/Anglican 2%Muslim 2%

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 Paphos (34.7768°, 32.4245°, elevation 81 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. 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).