San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas weather in May

In May, San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 546 mm of rain across 29.4 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% 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 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas's 6th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
4th warmest
Overnight low
23°
12th coldest
Rainfall
546 mm
29.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:10 AM – 6:13 PM
Cloud cover
91%
6th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
3.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
out of 10

San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas is city of Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador.

Founded
1743

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 29°C through the month.

A typical May day in San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 31°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)
12923
22923
32923
42923
52923
62923
72923
82923
92923
102923
112923
122923
132923
142923
152923
162923
172923
182923
192923
202923
212923
222923
232923
242923
252923
262923
272923
282923
292923
302923
312923

How May really feels in San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas

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.

San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 23°44228.811.93.1
Feb29° / 23°36425.4123.0
Mar29° / 23°40527.6123.0
Apr29° / 23°46727.8122.9
May29° / 23°54629.412.12.9
Jun29° / 23°42827.412.13.1
Jul28° / 22°39627.312.13.3
Aug28° / 22°31926.3123.5
Sep28° / 22°32625.3123.5
Oct28° / 22°28824.5123.6
Nov28° / 22°23822.111.93.7
Dec29° / 23°35725.711.93.5

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 1% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 99%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1298
2298
3199
4199
5199
6199
7199
8199
9199
10199
11199
12199
13199
14199
15199
16199
17199
18199
19199
20199
21199
22199
23199
24199
25199
26199
27199
28199
29199
30199
31199

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas gets around 546 mm of rain over 29.4 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 95% and peaks near 97% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
196
296
396
496
597
697
797
897
997
1097
1197
1297
1397
1496
1596
1696
1795
1895
1994
2094
2193
2293
2392
2492
2592
2692
2791
2891
2991
3091
3192

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 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
14951
24852
34852
44852
54753
64753
74753
84753
94852
104852
114951
124951
135050
145050
155149
165248
175347
185446
195644
205743
215842
226040
236139
246238
256337
266337
276436
286535
296634
306733
316733

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 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
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 hours 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 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:11 AM to 6:11 AM, and sunset from 6:14 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:116:14
212.06:116:14
312.06:116:14
412.06:116:14
512.06:116:14
612.06:106:13
712.16:106:13
812.16:106:13
912.16:106:13
1012.16:106:13
1112.16:106:13
1212.16:106:13
1312.16:106:13
1412.16:106:13
1512.16:106:13
1612.16:106:13
1712.16:106:13
1812.16:106:13
1912.16:106:13
2012.16:106:14
2112.16:106:14
2212.16:106:14
2312.16:106:14
2412.16:106:14
2512.16:106:14
2612.16:106:14
2712.16:106:14
2812.16:106:14
2912.16:106:14
3012.16:116:15
3112.16:116:15

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.25 kWh/m² to a high of 4.14 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 3.56 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.6Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.4Moderate
293.4Moderate
303.4Moderate
313.4Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas?

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

2.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas.

What to pack for San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas in May

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

In May, San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 29 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas in May

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in May at about 28°C and coldest in December near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr28Warm
May28Warm
Jun27Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov27Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas peaks around February 22 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 19 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 22UV 15Jul 19UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas 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 San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas is worst in March — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (July, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateMar 1716 µg/m³Jul 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May11Good
Jun9Good
Jul8Good
Aug9Good
Sep9Good
Oct10Good
Nov13Moderate
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas?

San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas sits at 1.3°N, 78.8°W, 14 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is Tumaco, 56 km away.

AtuntaquiRosa ZarateIbarraOtavaloTulcánTúquerres

Topography around San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas.

Within 3 km, the terrain around San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 44 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 125 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,370 m.

The land around San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas is covered by mangroves (33%), trees (32%) and water (21%) within 3 km, trees (56%) and mangroves (24%) within 16 km, and trees (65%) and water (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
44 m
16 km
125 m
80 km
2,370 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
May weather nearby: Tumaco 56 km · Esmeraldas 98 km · Atuntaqui 127 km · Rosa Zarate 128 km · Ibarra 131 km · Otavalo 133 km · Tulcán 135 km · Túquerres 137 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 San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas (1.2863°, -78.8351°, elevation 14 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).