Santa Elena weather in May

In May, Santa Elena sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 61 mm of rain across 12.2 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of May to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Santa Elena's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Elena's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
5th warmest
Overnight low
23°
8th coldest
Rainfall
61 mm
12.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:23 AM – 6:17 PM
Cloud cover
72%
4th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Santa Elena is city in Ecuador, capital of the Santa Elena Province.

Density
2,040/km²
people per km²
Founded
1531

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 28°C through the month.

A typical May day in Santa Elena reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12924
22923
32923
42923
52923
62923
72923
82923
92923
102923
112923
122923
132823
142823
152823
162823
172823
182823
192823
202823
212823
222823
232823
242823
252823
262823
272823
282823
292722
302722
312722

How May really feels in Santa Elena

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 2 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
2
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.

Santa Elena weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 24°8712.312.15.0
Feb29° / 24°1451712.14.0
Mar30° / 24°14317.2124.1
Apr29° / 24°9914.9124.6
May28° / 23°6112.211.95.4
Jun27° / 22°398.911.96.4
Jul26° / 21°307.111.96.9
Aug25° / 21°194.511.97.3
Sep26° / 20°245.8127.0
Oct26° / 21°205127.0
Nov26° / 21°204.212.17.0
Dec28° / 22°456.912.16.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23169
33169
43169
53169
63169
73268
83268
93169
103070
113070
123070
132872
142872
152773
162674
172575
182575
192377
202278
212278
222179
232179
242179
252179
262179
272179
282179
292179
302179
312278

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Santa Elena gets around 61 mm of rain over 12.2 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 40% 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
246
345
445
544
644
743
843
943
1043
1143
1243
1343
1442
1542
1642
1741
1841
1940
2039
2138
2238
2337
2436
2535
2635
2734
2833
2933
3032
3132

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 57% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
120728
220737
320737
420737
521727
621727
722717
823707
925687
1026686
1128666
1229656
1331636
1433616
1535605
1638575
1740555
1842544
1944524
2046513
2148493
2249482
2351472
2452462
2554451
2655441
2757421
2859410
2960400
3061390
3162380

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of May to 11 h 54 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 6:23 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 6:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:236:18
211.96:236:18
311.96:236:18
411.96:236:18
511.96:236:18
611.96:236:18
711.96:236:17
811.96:236:17
911.96:236:17
1011.96:236:17
1111.96:236:17
1211.96:236:17
1311.96:236:17
1411.96:236:17
1511.96:236:17
1611.96:236:17
1711.96:236:17
1811.96:236:17
1911.96:236:17
2011.96:236:17
2111.96:236:17
2211.96:236:17
2311.96:236:17
2411.96:236:17
2511.96:236:17
2611.96:246:17
2711.96:246:17
2811.96:246:17
2911.96:246:17
3011.96:246:17
3111.96:246:17

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.43 kWh/m² to a high of 5.54 kWh/m² in November across the year — May's 4.68 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Santa Elena

In seasonPeak

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

Santa Elena's rainy season runs January–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 Santa Elena?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Santa Elena in May

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

In May, Santa Elena sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Santa Elena in May

The nearest coast averages about 25°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 March at about 26°C and coldest in August near 23°C.

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

22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr26Warm
May25Warm
Jun24Warm
Jul23Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct23Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Warm

UV index in Santa Elena 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 Santa Elena peaks around February 21 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 14 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 highExtremeFeb 21UV 15Jul 14UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Elena?

Santa Elena sits at 2.2°S, 80.9°W, 43 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is La Libertad, 6.0 km away.

JipijapaEl Triunfo

Topography around Santa Elena

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Santa Elena has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 86 m around an average of 36 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 119 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 847 m.

The land around Santa Elena is covered by grassland (44%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, water (49%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and water (51%) and trees (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
86 m
16 km
119 m
80 km
847 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: La Libertad 6.0 km · Salinas 10 km · Playas 69 km · Puerto López 74 km · Pedro Carbo 83 km · Posorja 87 km · Jipijapa 102 km · El Triunfo 104 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 Santa Elena (-2.2265°, -80.8581°, elevation 43 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).