Lobamba weather in May

In May, Lobamba sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 27 mm of rain across 4.8 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of May to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Lobamba's 3rd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lobamba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
9th warmest
Overnight low
11°
4th coldest
Rainfall
27 mm
4.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
6:30 AM – 5:13 PM
Cloud cover
25%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.3
out of 10

Lobamba is city in Eswatini.

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 23°C through the month.

A typical May day in Lobamba reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12413
22413
32412
42312
52312
62312
72312
82312
92312
102312
112312
122311
132311
142311
152311
162311
172311
182311
192311
202310
212310
222310
232310
242310
252310
262310
272210
282210
29229
30229
31229

Lobamba weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°17418.113.55.4
Feb26° / 18°14514.712.95.7
Mar26° / 17°13214.312.26.3
Apr24° / 14°639.411.47.3
May23° / 11°274.810.78.3
Jun21° / 152.910.48.4
Jul21° / 173.410.58.2
Aug23° / 10°285.211.18.2
Sep24° / 12°518.311.87.6
Oct24° / 14°9614.112.66.4
Nov25° / 16°15317.113.35.6
Dec26° / 17°17218.813.65.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 17%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27921
38020
48119
58119
68218
78317
88317
98317
108317
118317
128317
138317
148317
158416
168317
178317
188317
198317
208317
218317
228416
238416
248416
258515
268515
278515
288515
298515
308515
318515

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Lobamba gets around 27 mm of rain over 4.8 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 16% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
223
322
422
521
620
720
819
919
1018
1118
1217
1316
1416
1515
1615
1714
1814
1914
2013
2113
2213
2312
2412
2511
2611
2711
2811
2911
3011
3111

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 79% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
148448
250437
353416
456395
558384
661363
763343
866322
968302
1070282
1173252
1276231
1377221
1479201
1581181
1683170
1785150
1886140
1987130
2089110
2190100
229190
239280
249280
259370
269460
279550
289550
299640
309640
319640

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours at the start of May to 10 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:22 AM to 6:38 AM, and sunset from 5:23 PM to 5:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:225:23
211.06:235:22
311.06:235:21
410.96:245:20
510.96:245:20
610.96:255:19
710.96:255:18
810.96:265:18
910.86:265:17
1010.86:275:16
1110.86:285:16
1210.86:285:15
1310.86:295:14
1410.76:295:14
1510.76:305:13
1610.76:305:13
1710.76:315:12
1810.76:315:12
1910.76:325:11
2010.66:335:11
2110.66:335:10
2210.66:345:10
2310.66:345:09
2410.66:355:09
2510.66:355:09
2610.56:365:08
2710.56:365:08
2810.56:375:08
2910.56:375:07
3010.56:385:07
3110.56:385:07

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.61 kWh/m² to a high of 5.77 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.1Bright
34.1Bright
44.1Bright
54.1Bright
64.1Bright
74.1Bright
84.1Bright
94.1Bright
104.1Bright
114.0Bright
124.0Bright
134.0Bright
144.0Bright
154.0Bright
164.0Moderate
174.0Moderate
184.0Moderate
194.0Moderate
203.9Moderate
213.9Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.9Moderate
263.9Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Lobamba

In seasonPeak

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

Lobamba's rainy season runs October–March, 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 Lobamba?

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

8.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Lobamba for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Lobamba in May

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

In May, Lobamba sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 5 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Lobamba in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lobamba peaks around December 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeDec 18UV 13Jul 10UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr7Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Lobamba 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 Lobamba is worst in July — around 43 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.9× the cleanest month (January, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateJul 1942 µg/m³Jan 1611 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May34Moderate
Jun36Poor
Jul43Poor
Aug40Poor
Sep32Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lobamba?

Lobamba sits at 26.5°S, 31.2°E, 694 m above sea level, in Eswatini. The nearest listed city is Mbabane, 18 km away.

MbabaneManziniFernieRedhillEmpuluzuLukwatiniNhlazatjePiet Retief

Topography around Lobamba

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lobamba has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 386 m around an average of 711 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 952 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,772 m.

The land around Lobamba is covered by grassland (49%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, grassland (42%) and trees (35%) within 16 km, and grassland (43%) and trees (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
386 m
16 km
952 m
80 km
1,772 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Mbabane 18 km · Manzini 18 km · Fernie 42 km · Redhill 44 km · Empuluzu 46 km · Lukwatini 59 km · Nhlazatje 62 km · Piet Retief 71 km

Eswatini travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 33% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,108
2025
Happiness
3.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
38%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
12.5
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
33.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Christian 90%other 8%Muslim 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 Lobamba (-26.4667°, 31.2°, elevation 694 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).