Tshikapa weather in May

In May, Tshikapa sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 39 mm of rain across 6.9 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 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 Tshikapa's 4th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tshikapa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
4th warmest
Overnight low
21°
4th coldest
Rainfall
39 mm
6.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:42 AM – 6:24 PM
Cloud cover
56%
4th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Tshikapa is capital city of Kasaï province.

Founded
2003

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 32°C through the month.

A typical May day in Tshikapa reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C warmer than April and about 1°C cooler than June.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13122
23122
33122
43122
53122
63122
73122
83122
93122
103222
113221
123221
133221
143221
153221
163221
173221
183221
193221
203221
213221
223221
233221
243221
253221
263221
273221
283221
293221
303221
313221

How May really feels in Tshikapa

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.

Tshikapa 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
Jan30° / 22°13720.212.33.6
Feb31° / 22°12718.712.23.3
Mar31° / 22°16322.5123.2
Apr31° / 22°1532011.93.5
May32° / 21°396.911.74.4
Jun33° / 20°61.311.64.7
Jul33° / 19°20.511.74.5
Aug32° / 21°336.211.84.2
Sep31° / 22°9315.5123.7
Oct31° / 21°13422.212.13.3
Nov30° / 21°17723.412.33.4
Dec30° / 21°17423.612.43.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 46%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23763
33763
43961
54159
64357
74357
84555
94654
104852
114951
125248
135347
145545
155644
165743
175743
185842
195941
206040
216040
226139
236139
246238
256337
266337
276436
286436
296535
306535
316634

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Tshikapa gets around 39 mm of rain over 6.9 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 23% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
244
342
441
539
637
735
833
931
1029
1127
1225
1323
1422
1520
1619
1718
1817
1916
2015
2115
2214
2314
2413
2513
2613
2713
2812
2912
3011
3111

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 40% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 79% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
10122671
20132868
30132967
40243163
50243262
60253360
70353458
80363556
90373654
100483751
110493749
1205103847
1305123845
1406133942
1506143940
1607154038
1707174136
1807174134
1908184232
2008194330
2108194329
2209204427
2319204525
2419204623
25110214722
26210214720
27310214819
28311204817
29411204816
30511204815
31612204814

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 6 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
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 6:41 AM to 6:44 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:416:27
211.86:416:27
311.86:416:27
411.86:416:27
511.86:416:26
611.86:416:26
711.76:416:26
811.76:416:26
911.76:416:25
1011.76:416:25
1111.76:416:25
1211.76:416:25
1311.76:416:25
1411.76:426:25
1511.76:426:24
1611.76:426:24
1711.76:426:24
1811.76:426:24
1911.76:426:24
2011.76:426:24
2111.76:436:24
2211.76:436:24
2311.76:436:24
2411.76:436:24
2511.76:436:24
2611.76:436:24
2711.76:446:24
2811.76:446:24
2911.76:446:24
3011.76:446:24
3111.76:446:24

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.22 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.06 kWh/m² to a high of 5.48 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.22 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Tshikapa

In seasonPeak

None of Tshikapa's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Tshikapa's rainy season runs September–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Tshikapa?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Tshikapa in May

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

In May, Tshikapa sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Tshikapa 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 Tshikapa peaks around March 16 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near August 13 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighExtremeMar 16UV 15Aug 13UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May9Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul7High
Aug4Moderate
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Tshikapa 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 Tshikapa is worst in August — around 151 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 12.7× the cleanest month (November, 12 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateUnhealthyModerateAug 11148 µg/m³Nov 2012 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan19Moderate
Feb23Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May59Unhealthy
Jun140Unhealthy
Jul136Unhealthy
Aug151Very unhealthy
Sep38Poor
Oct17Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Tshikapa?

Tshikapa sits at 6.4°S, 20.8°E, 484 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Chitato, 99 km away.

CassanguidiLueboKanangaDembaMwekaIdiofa

Topography around Tshikapa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tshikapa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 117 m around an average of 477 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 495 m.

The land around Tshikapa is covered by grassland (30%), trees (29%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and shrubs (27%) within 16 km, and trees (40%), grassland (31%) and shrubs (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
117 m
16 km
230 m
80 km
495 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Chitato 99 km · Dundo 106 km · Cassanguidi 131 km · Luebo 137 km · Kananga 188 km · Demba 192 km · Mweka 193 km · Idiofa 209 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 Tshikapa (-6.4162°, 20.7999°, elevation 484 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).