Mbabane weather in May

In May, Mbabane sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 32 mm of rain across 5.5 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% 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 Mbabane's 3rd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbabane's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
9th warmest
Overnight low
11°
4th coldest
Rainfall
32 mm
5.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
6:30 AM – 5:13 PM
Cloud cover
26%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.0
out of 10

Mbabane is capital of Eswatini.

Density
508/km²
people per km²
Founded
1902

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 22°C through the month.

A typical May day in Mbabane reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 26°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)
12312
22312
32312
42312
52212
62212
72212
82211
92211
102211
112211
122211
132211
142211
152211
162211
172211
182210
192210
202210
212210
222210
232210
242210
252210
26229
27219
28219
29219
30219
31219

Mbabane weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 17°21719.713.55.3
Feb25° / 17°17616.612.95.5
Mar25° / 16°15916.812.26.0
Apr23° / 14°7811.311.46.9
May22° / 11°325.510.78.0
Jun20° / 183.510.48.1
Jul20° / 183.910.57.9
Aug22° / 10°325.511.17.9
Sep23° / 12°57911.87.4
Oct24° / 13°11215.712.66.1
Nov24° / 15°17118.613.35.4
Dec25° / 16°20819.913.65.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% 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 (%)
17723
27921
38020
48020
58119
68218
78218
88218
98218
108317
118317
128317
138317
148317
158317
168317
178317
188317
198317
208218
218218
228317
238317
248416
258515
268515
278515
288515
298614
308614
318614

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mbabane gets around 32 mm of rain over 5.5 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 18% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
228
327
426
525
624
723
822
921
1021
1120
1219
1318
1418
1517
1617
1716
1816
1915
2015
2115
2214
2314
2413
2513
2613
2712
2812
2912
3012
3112

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 83% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
156386
258375
361354
463334
566313
667303
770282
872262
974242
1077221
1178211
1280191
1382171
1483161
1585141
1687130
1789110
1890100
199190
209280
219280
229370
239460
249550
259550
269640
279640
289730
299730
309820
319820

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 8 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
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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
311.06:235:22
411.06:245:21
510.96:245:20
610.96:255:19
710.96:255:19
810.96:265:18
910.86:265:17
1010.86:275:17
1110.86:285:16
1210.86:285:15
1310.86:295:15
1410.86:295:14
1510.76:305:14
1610.76:305:13
1710.76:315:13
1810.76:315:12
1910.76:325:12
2010.66:335:11
2110.66:335:11
2210.66:345:10
2310.66:345:10
2410.66:355:10
2510.66:355:09
2610.66:365:09
2710.56:365:08
2810.56:375:08
2910.56:375:08
3010.56:385:08
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 4.01 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.63 kWh/m² to a high of 5.79 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 4.01 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
114.1Bright
124.0Bright
134.0Bright
144.0Bright
154.0Bright
164.0Bright
174.0Moderate
184.0Moderate
194.0Moderate
204.0Moderate
213.9Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.9Moderate
263.9Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mbabane

In seasonPeak

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

Mbabane's monsoon runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Mbabane?

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

8.0
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Mbabane for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Mbabane in May

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

In May, Mbabane sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 11°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 6 days see rain.

UV index in Mbabane 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 Mbabane 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 Mbabane 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 Mbabane 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 Mbabane?

Mbabane sits at 26.3°S, 31.1°E, 1,209 m above sea level, in Eswatini. The nearest listed city is Lobamba, 18 km away.

LobambaRedhillManziniFernieEmpuluzuLukwatiniNhlazatjeBarberton

Topography around Mbabane

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbabane has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 462 m around an average of 1,241 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 991 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,718 m.

The land around Mbabane is covered by trees (47%), grassland (29%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and trees (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (44%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
462 m
16 km
991 m
80 km
1,718 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Lobamba 18 km · Redhill 31 km · Manzini 32 km · Fernie 35 km · Empuluzu 36 km · Lukwatini 42 km · Nhlazatje 46 km · Barberton 59 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 Mbabane (-26.3167°, 31.1333°, elevation 1,209 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).