Quito weather in May

In May, Quito sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 248 mm of rain across 29.9 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Quito's 8th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Quito's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
6th warmest
Overnight low
10°
12th coldest
Rainfall
248 mm
29.9 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:11 AM – 6:10 PM
Cloud cover
85%
8th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Quito is capital of Ecuador.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 19.8 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
7,470/km²
people per km²
Founded
1534

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 17°C through the month.

A typical May day in Quito reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11710
21710
31710
41710
51710
61710
71710
81710
91710
101710
111710
121710
131710
141710
151710
161710
171710
181710
191710
201710
211710
221710
231710
241710
251710
261710
271710
281710
291710
301710
311710

Quito weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan17° / 10°27329.9122.9
Feb17° / 10°25827.2122.8
Mar17° / 10°31130.1122.8
Apr17° / 10°30629.6122.8
May17° / 10°24829.9123.0
Jun18° / 10°14926123.4
Jul18° / 10°10924.7123.8
Aug18° / 10°11225.1123.9
Sep18° / 10°19928.5123.3
Oct17° / 10°26429.7123.0
Nov17° / 10°28228122.9
Dec17° / 10°28930122.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 94%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1397
2397
3397
4496
5595
6595
7694
8694
9793
10793
11793
12793
13793
14793
15892
16793
17793
18793
19694
20694
21694
22694
23694
24694
25694
26694
27694
28694
29694
30694
31793

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Quito gets around 248 mm of rain over 29.9 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 96% and peaks near 99% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
199
298
398
498
598
698
797
897
997
1097
1196
1296
1396
1496
1596
1696
1795
1895
1995
2096
2196
2296
2396
2496
2596
2696
2796
2895
2995
3095
3194

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

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 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 6:12 AM to 6:12 AM, and sunset from 6:11 PM to 6:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:126:11
212.06:116:11
312.06:116:11
412.06:116:11
512.06:116:11
612.06:116:10
712.06:116:10
812.06:116:10
912.06:116:10
1012.06:116:10
1112.06:116:10
1212.06:116:10
1312.06:116:10
1412.06:116:10
1512.06:116:10
1612.06:116:10
1712.06:116:10
1812.06:116:10
1912.06:116:10
2012.06:116:10
2112.06:116:10
2212.06:116:10
2312.06:116:10
2412.06:116:10
2512.06:116:10
2612.06:116:11
2712.06:116:11
2812.06:116:11
2912.06:126:11
3012.06:126:11
3112.06:126:11

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.2 kWh/m² to a high of 4.83 kWh/m² in September across the year — May's 4.24 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.2Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Quito?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Quito.

What to pack for Quito in May

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

In May, Quito sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 10°C. Pack rain gear. About 30 days see rain.

rain gear

UV index in Quito in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Quito peaks around March 10 at about 19 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 15 at about 13 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 10UV 19Jul 15UV 13
UV index (midday)Level
Jan17Extreme
Feb19Extreme
Mar19Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May16Extreme
Jun14Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep15Extreme
Oct16Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Quito 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 Quito is worst in September — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Quito's WHO annual average of 19.8 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateSep 1723 µg/m³Jul 1618 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan19Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct20Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec20Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Quito?

Quito sits at 0.2°S, 78.5°W, 2,854 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is Pomasqui, 21 km away.

Topography around Quito

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Quito has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 850 m around an average of 2,983 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,658 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,644 m.

The land around Quito is covered by artificial surfaces (59%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, trees (38%), artificial surfaces (29%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and trees (58%) and grassland (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
850 m
16 km
2,658 m
80 km
5,644 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Pomasqui 21 km · Machachi 32 km · Mindo 34 km · Cayambe 52 km · Otavalo 59 km · Atuntaqui 71 km · Santo Domingo de los Colorados 72 km · Ibarra 78 km

Ecuador travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 43% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$7,125
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
70%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
45.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
20.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 466
Religion
Roman Catholic 68%Protestant 19%none 8%other 2%

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 Quito (-0.2298°, -78.525°, elevation 2,854 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).