Mbandaka weather in May

In May, Mbandaka sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 128 mm of rain across 22.4 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-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 hours at the start of May to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Mbandaka's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbandaka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
5th warmest
Overnight low
23°
12th coldest
Rainfall
128 mm
22.4 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
5:43 AM – 5:43 PM
Cloud cover
71%
3rd clearest
Wind
4 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
4.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Mbandaka is is a port city in the Equateur Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo,.

Density
989/km²
people per km²
Founded
1883

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 Mbandaka 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)
13024
23024
33024
43024
53024
63024
73024
83024
93024
103024
113024
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 Mbandaka

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.

Mbandaka weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 23°8915.2123.8
Feb31° / 23°12015.9123.4
Mar31° / 23°15621.6123.1
Apr31° / 23°15923.1123.1
May30° / 23°12822.4123.4
Jun30° / 23°9217.4124.2
Jul29° / 23°9418.1124.3
Aug29° / 23°15523.5123.7
Sep29° / 23°18926.2123.2
Oct29° / 23°20526.7123.2
Nov30° / 23°18224.9123.2
Dec30° / 23°12020.1123.6

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 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22575
32575
42773
52773
62773
72872
83070
93169
103169
113268
123367
133367
143466
153466
163466
173466
183466
193565
203565
213565
223565
233565
243565
253466
263565
273565
283565
293565
303664
313763

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mbandaka gets around 128 mm of rain over 22.4 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 72% and peaks near 78% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
178
278
378
477
576
676
775
874
974
1073
1173
1272
1372
1472
1572
1671
1771
1871
1971
2071
2171
2271
2371
2471
2570
2670
2770
2869
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 69% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
106733
206733
306634
406634
506634
606634
706634
806634
906535
1006634
1106634
1206634
1306634
1406634
1506634
1606733
1706733
1806733
1906832
2006832
2106931
2207030
2307030
2407129
2507228
2607327
2707426
2807525
2907624
3007822
3117821

Wind in May

Winds average 4 km/h in May, the calmest month.

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:44 AM to 5:44 AM, and sunset from 5:44 PM to 5:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.05:445:44
212.05:445:44
312.05:445:44
412.05:445:44
512.05:445:44
612.05:445:44
712.05:435:44
812.05:435:43
912.05:435:43
1012.05:435:43
1112.05:435:43
1212.05:435:43
1312.05:435:43
1412.05:435:43
1512.05:435:43
1612.05:435:43
1712.05:435:43
1812.05:435:43
1912.05:435:43
2012.05:435:43
2112.05:435:43
2212.05:435:44
2312.05:435:44
2412.05:445:44
2512.05:445:44
2612.05:445:44
2712.05:445:44
2812.05:445:44
2912.05:445:44
3012.05:445:44
3112.05:445:44

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.81 kWh/m² to a high of 5.47 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 4.98 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Mbandaka?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mbandaka.

What to pack for Mbandaka in May

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

In May, Mbandaka sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mbandaka 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 Mbandaka peaks around March 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeVery highMar 18UV 13Jun 23UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Mbandaka 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 Mbandaka is worst in February — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.7× the cleanest month (October, 10 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateModerateModerateFeb 1537 µg/m³Oct 1611 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb39Poor
Mar29Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul36Poor
Aug31Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov15Moderate
Dec24Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mbandaka?

Mbandaka sits at 0.0°N, 18.3°E, 315 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Bolenge, 7.0 km away.

ImpfondoMossakaBasankusuInongoPokolaOwandoOyo

Topography around Mbandaka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbandaka has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 28 m around an average of 310 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 40 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m.

The land around Mbandaka is covered by artificial surfaces (42%) and trees (30%) within 3 km, trees (75%) within 16 km, and trees (93%) within 80 km.

3 km
28 m
16 km
40 m
80 km
83 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Bolenge 7.0 km · Impfondo 176 km · Mossaka 215 km · Basankusu 215 km · Inongo 220 km · Pokola 263 km · Owando 269 km · Oyo 288 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 Mbandaka (0.0486°, 18.2603°, elevation 315 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).