Gambēla weather in May

In May, Gambēla sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 136 mm of rain across 20.1 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Gambēla's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gambēla's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
7th warmest
Overnight low
24°
9th coldest
Rainfall
136 mm
20.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
6:27 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
71%
11th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
out of 10

Gambēla is city in Ethiopia.

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 32°C through the month.

A typical May day in Gambēla reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13324
23324
33324
43324
53324
63324
73324
83324
93324
103324
113224
123224
133224
143224
153224
163224
173224
183224
193224
203224
213224
223224
233223
243223
253223
263223
273223
283223
293223
303223
313223

How May really feels in Gambēla

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.

Gambēla weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan36° / 23°10.411.62.5
Feb38° / 24°3111.71.5
Mar37° / 26°164.711.91.5
Apr35° / 25°9314.612.22.1
May32° / 24°13620.112.42.9
Jun31° / 23°12816.312.53.9
Jul29° / 22°11916.712.44.3
Aug30° / 22°10516.712.34.2
Sep32° / 23°7413.4123.8
Oct32° / 23°11219.511.83.1
Nov32° / 22°7413.211.63.5
Dec34° / 22°92.211.53.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32575
42476
52476
62476
72575
82575
92575
102674
112872
122872
133070
143070
153169
163268
173367
183466
193565
203565
213565
223664
233763
243664
253763
263763
273862
283862
293862
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Gambēla gets around 136 mm of rain over 20.1 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 65% and peaks near 70% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
162
263
364
465
566
667
768
869
969
1070
1170
1270
1370
1470
1569
1669
1768
1867
1966
2065
2164
2263
2362
2461
2560
2659
2759
2858
2958
3057
3157

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 81% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
167618
257619
357520
447521
547521
637522
737522
827622
927523
1017623
1117722
1217722
1317722
1417821
1517920
1618019
1718118
1818217
1918316
2028315
2128414
2228513
2328513
2428612
2538611
2638710
2738710
2848610
294879
304879
315869

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 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 24 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 6:30 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 6:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:306:47
212.36:306:48
312.36:306:48
412.36:296:48
512.36:296:48
612.36:296:48
712.36:286:48
812.36:286:48
912.36:286:48
1012.36:286:48
1112.36:286:48
1212.46:276:49
1312.46:276:49
1412.46:276:49
1512.46:276:49
1612.46:276:49
1712.46:276:49
1812.46:266:50
1912.46:266:50
2012.46:266:50
2112.46:266:50
2212.46:266:50
2312.46:266:50
2412.46:266:51
2512.46:266:51
2612.46:266:51
2712.46:266:51
2812.46:266:52
2912.46:266:52
3012.46:266:52
3112.46:266:52

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.26 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.66 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 5.26 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Gambēla

In seasonPeak

In May, Gambēla sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Gambēla's rainy season runs April–November, 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 Gambēla?

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

2.9
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gambēla.

What to pack for Gambēla in May

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

In May, Gambēla sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Gambēla in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gambēla peaks around March 19 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMar 19UV 13Dec 17UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Gambēla 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 Gambēla is worst in January — around 98 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.2× the cleanest month (May, 14 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateUnhealthyJan 1596 µg/m³May 1714 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan98Unhealthy
Feb78Unhealthy
Mar42Poor
Apr21Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov36Poor
Dec84Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Gambēla?

Gambēla sits at 8.3°N, 34.6°E, 439 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Dembī Dolo, 40 km away.

MetuTēpīBambesiGimbiNejoMīzan TeferīKomtikas

Topography around Gambēla

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gambēla has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 98 m around an average of 454 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 857 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,842 m.

The land around Gambēla is covered by grassland (44%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, trees (47%) and grassland (46%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and grassland (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
98 m
16 km
857 m
80 km
2,842 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Dembī Dolo 40 km · Metu 110 km · Tēpī 151 km · Bambesi 168 km · Gimbi 171 km · Nejo 172 km · Mīzan Teferī 178 km · Komtikas 179 km

Ethiopia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E / F / L
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 37% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$933
2025
Happiness
4.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
14%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
8.5
per 100k, 2012
Road deaths
28.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 499
Religion
Ethiopian Orthodox 44%Muslim 31%Protestant 23%other 1%

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 Gambēla (8.25°, 34.5833°, elevation 439 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).