Kananga weather in May

In May, Kananga sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 64 mm of rain across 11.8 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of May to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kananga's 4th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kananga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
4th warmest
Overnight low
21°
9th coldest
Rainfall
64 mm
11.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:35 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
61%
4th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Kananga is capital city of the Kasai-Central Province in DRC and capital of the former Kasaï-Occidental Province.

Density
1,679/km²
people per km²
Founded
1884

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 31°C through the month.

A typical May day in Kananga reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C cooler than June.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13021
23021
33021
43021
53021
63021
73021
83021
93021
103021
113021
123021
133121
143121
153121
163121
173121
183121
193121
203121
213121
223121
233121
243121
253121
263121
273121
283121
293120
303120
313120

How May really feels in Kananga

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.

Kananga weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 21°13119.512.34.0
Feb30° / 21°1271812.23.7
Mar30° / 21°17622.2123.5
Apr30° / 21°17822.111.93.5
May31° / 21°6411.811.74.5
Jun31° / 20°102.211.75.2
Jul32° / 20°61.311.75.0
Aug31° / 21°521011.84.6
Sep30° / 21°13619.8123.8
Oct29° / 21°18124.812.13.4
Nov29° / 20°18624.912.33.5
Dec29° / 21°15922.312.33.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23169
33268
43466
53466
63664
73763
83862
94060
104258
114357
124555
134555
144753
154951
164951
175050
185050
195149
205149
215248
225248
235347
245248
255347
265347
275446
285446
295446
305446
315644

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kananga gets around 64 mm of rain over 11.8 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 38% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
159
257
355
454
552
651
749
848
946
1045
1143
1241
1340
1438
1537
1635
1734
1833
1932
2031
2130
2230
2329
2428
2528
2627
2726
2825
2924
3023
3122

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 53% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 87% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
10022078
20022177
30032275
40032374
50042373
60142471
70152569
80162667
90162766
100172765
110182863
120192961
1301103059
1401113157
1502123254
1602133352
1702143450
1802143549
1902153647
2002153745
2102153844
2203164042
2303164140
2403164239
2503164337
2614164535
2714164633
2814164732
2925174730
3025174828
3136174826

Wind in May

Winds average 5 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of May to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:34 AM to 6:37 AM, and sunset from 6:21 PM to 6:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:346:21
211.86:346:21
311.86:346:21
411.86:346:21
511.86:346:20
611.86:346:20
711.86:346:20
811.86:346:20
911.86:346:20
1011.86:346:19
1111.86:346:19
1211.76:346:19
1311.76:346:19
1411.76:346:19
1511.76:346:19
1611.76:356:19
1711.76:356:18
1811.76:356:18
1911.76:356:18
2011.76:356:18
2111.76:356:18
2211.76:356:18
2311.76:366:18
2411.76:366:18
2511.76:366:18
2611.76:366:18
2711.76:366:18
2811.76:376:18
2911.76:376:18
3011.76:376:18
3111.76:376:18

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.06 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.06 kWh/m² to a high of 5.55 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.06 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kananga?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kananga for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Kananga in May

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

In May, Kananga sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Kananga in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 Kananga peaks around March 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near August 12 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighExtremeMar 18UV 15Aug 12UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul6High
Aug5Moderate
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Kananga 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 Kananga is worst in August — around 134 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.2× the cleanest month (November, 19 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyModerateAug 13128 µg/m³Nov 2019 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan27Moderate
Feb36Poor
Mar22Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May38Poor
Jun59Unhealthy
Jul102Unhealthy
Aug134Unhealthy
Sep45Poor
Oct23Moderate
Nov19Moderate
Dec20Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kananga?

Kananga sits at 5.9°S, 22.4°E, 643 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Demba, 47 km away.

LueboMbuji-MayiMwekaLusamboMwene-Ditu

Topography around Kananga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kananga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 m around an average of 612 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 467 m.

The land around Kananga is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, trees (34%), shrubs (30%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and trees (64%) within 80 km.

3 km
92 m
16 km
200 m
80 km
467 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Demba 47 km · Kabeya-Kamwanga 93 km · Miabi 114 km · Luebo 126 km · Mbuji-Mayi 132 km · Mweka 150 km · Lusambo 153 km · Mwene-Ditu 169 km

Democratic Republic of the Congo travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 42% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$807
2025
Happiness
3.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
12%
of population, 2024
Road deaths
34.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 400

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 Kananga (-5.8962°, 22.4166°, elevation 643 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).