Lisala weather in May

In May, Lisala sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 118 mm of rain across 21.2 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Lisala's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lisala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
6th warmest
Overnight low
23°
10th coldest
Rainfall
118 mm
21.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
5:27 AM – 5:33 PM
Cloud cover
70%
5th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Lisala is capital of the Mongala province in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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 30°C through the month.

A typical May day in Lisala reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 32°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)
13023
23023
33023
43023
53023
63023
73023
83023
93023
103023
113023
123023
133023
143023
153023
163023
173023
183023
193023
203023
213023
223023
233023
243023
253023
263023
273023
283023
293023
303023
313023

How May really feels in Lisala

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.

Lisala weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 22°459.111.94.1
Feb32° / 23°7111.811.93.5
Mar32° / 23°13618.3123.3
Apr31° / 23°14220.7123.4
May30° / 23°11821.212.13.6
Jun29° / 23°10419.512.14.0
Jul29° / 22°11721.612.13.9
Aug29° / 22°15525.512.13.5
Sep29° / 22°16124.8123.4
Oct29° / 22°18526.1123.4
Nov29° / 22°14623.111.93.6
Dec30° / 22°601211.94.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% 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 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
33070
43070
53169
63169
73169
83268
93367
103367
113367
123466
133466
143565
153565
163466
173565
183565
193565
203565
213466
223466
233466
243466
253466
263367
273367
283367
293367
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Lisala gets around 118 mm of rain over 21.2 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 68% and peaks near 72% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
164
264
364
464
564
664
764
865
965
1066
1166
1267
1368
1468
1569
1669
1770
1870
1971
2071
2171
2272
2372
2471
2571
2671
2770
2870
2969
3068
3168

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 89% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
18812
28812
38812
48812
58812
68911
78911
88911
98911
108911
118812
128812
138812
148812
158713
168713
178713
188713
198713
208713
218713
228812
238812
248812
258911
268911
279010
28919
29919
30928
31937

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 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
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 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:29 AM to 5:28 AM, and sunset from 5:33 PM to 5:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.15:295:33
212.15:295:33
312.15:295:33
412.15:285:33
512.15:285:33
612.15:285:33
712.15:285:33
812.15:285:33
912.15:285:33
1012.15:285:33
1112.15:285:33
1212.15:275:33
1312.15:275:33
1412.15:275:33
1512.15:275:33
1612.15:275:33
1712.15:275:33
1812.15:275:33
1912.15:275:33
2012.15:275:33
2112.15:275:33
2212.15:275:34
2312.15:275:34
2412.15:275:34
2512.15:275:34
2612.15:275:34
2712.15:285:34
2812.15:285:34
2912.15:285:34
3012.15:285:35
3112.15:285:35

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.15 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.81 kWh/m² to a high of 5.69 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.15 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Lisala?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lisala.

What to pack for Lisala in May

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

In May, Lisala sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Lisala 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 Lisala peaks around March 22 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 11 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeVery highMar 22UV 13Jul 11UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Lisala 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 Lisala is worst in March — around 110 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 11.1× the cleanest month (October, 10 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateGoodModerateMar 12106 µg/m³Oct 1210 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan39Poor
Feb91Unhealthy
Mar110Unhealthy
Apr43Poor
May16Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct10Good
Nov15Moderate
Dec26Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lisala?

Lisala sits at 2.2°N, 21.5°E, 418 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Bumba, 106 km away.

BusingaBasankusuGemenaGbadoliteBasokoAketi

Topography around Lisala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lisala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 132 m around an average of 384 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 216 m.

The land around Lisala is covered by water (32%), trees (27%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, trees (69%) within 16 km, and trees (95%) within 80 km.

3 km
132 m
16 km
154 m
80 km
216 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Bumba 106 km · Binga 116 km · Businga 149 km · Basankusu 217 km · Gemena 229 km · Gbadolite 243 km · Basoko 254 km · Aketi 260 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 Lisala (2.1513°, 21.5167°, elevation 418 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).