Kikwit weather in May

In May, Kikwit sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 83 mm of rain across 15.6 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-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 22% 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 Kikwit's 4th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kikwit's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
7th warmest
Overnight low
22°
9th coldest
Rainfall
83 mm
15.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
5:48 AM – 5:34 PM
Cloud cover
64%
4th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Kikwit is city in Congo-Kinshasa.

Density
5,537/km²
people per km²
Founded
1970

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 Kikwit reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 9°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 on par with June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13022
23022
33022
43022
53022
63122
73122
83122
93122
103122
113122
123122
133122
143122
153122
163122
173122
183122
193122
203122
213122
223122
233122
243122
253122
263122
273122
283122
293122
303121
313121

How May really feels in Kikwit

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.

Kikwit weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 22°11619.312.33.6
Feb31° / 22°11116.612.23.5
Mar31° / 22°13320.5123.3
Apr31° / 22°16623.511.93.1
May31° / 22°8315.611.84.0
Jun31° / 21°133.511.75.0
Jul32° / 21°72.311.74.8
Aug32° / 22°411011.84.1
Sep31° / 22°10618.9123.5
Oct30° / 21°16725.512.13.2
Nov30° / 21°17924.912.23.2
Dec30° / 21°14823.412.33.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22575
32773
42872
52971
63169
73268
83466
93664
103763
114060
124159
134456
144456
154654
164753
174852
184951
194852
204951
214951
224951
235050
245050
255149
265149
275149
285149
295149
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kikwit gets around 83 mm of rain over 15.6 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 50% and peaks near 72% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
172
271
370
469
567
666
764
862
961
1059
1157
1255
1353
1451
1549
1648
1746
1845
1943
2042
2141
2240
2339
2439
2538
2637
2736
2835
2934
3033
3132

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 88% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 98% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1002962
2003961
3003961
4004951
5004951
6005941
7006931
8006931
9017920
10017920
11018910
12019900
13019900
140110890
150210880
160210880
170211870
180211870
190212860
200212860
210212860
220213850
230213850
240313840
250314830
260315820
270315820
280316810
290318790
301319770
311420750

Wind in May

Winds average 4 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

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 5:47 AM to 5:50 AM, and sunset from 5:37 PM to 5:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.85:475:37
211.85:475:36
311.85:475:36
411.85:475:36
511.85:475:36
611.85:475:36
711.85:475:35
811.85:475:35
911.85:475:35
1011.85:475:35
1111.85:475:35
1211.85:475:35
1311.85:485:34
1411.85:485:34
1511.85:485:34
1611.85:485:34
1711.85:485:34
1811.85:485:34
1911.85:485:34
2011.85:485:34
2111.85:485:34
2211.85:495:34
2311.85:495:34
2411.75:495:34
2511.75:495:34
2611.75:495:34
2711.75:495:34
2811.75:505:34
2911.75:505:34
3011.75:505:34
3111.75:505:34

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.9 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.9 kWh/m² to a high of 5.56 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 4.9 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kikwit?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kikwit for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kikwit in May

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

In May, Kikwit sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Kikwit in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kikwit peaks around March 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near August 14 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateExtremeMar 14UV 14Aug 14UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul7High
Aug4Moderate
Sep10Very high
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Kikwit 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 Kikwit is worst in August — around 166 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 12.2× the cleanest month (November, 14 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateUnhealthyUnhealthyModerateAug 13157 µg/m³Nov 1714 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb26Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May61Unhealthy
Jun136Unhealthy
Jul117Unhealthy
Aug166Very unhealthy
Sep36Poor
Oct17Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kikwit?

Kikwit sits at 5.0°S, 18.8°E, 466 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Bulungu, 60 km away.

MangaiDibaya-LubweDunguIleboBandundu Province

Topography around Kikwit

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kikwit has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 163 m around an average of 426 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 307 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 500 m.

The land around Kikwit is covered by trees (38%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, shrubs (38%), grassland (34%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%), trees (29%) and shrubs (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
163 m
16 km
307 m
80 km
500 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Bulungu 60 km · Idiofa 86 km · Masi-Manimba 107 km · Mangai 138 km · Dibaya-Lubwe 152 km · Dungu 158 km · Ilebo 211 km · Bandundu Province 249 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 Kikwit (-5.041°, 18.8162°, elevation 466 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).