Gondar weather in May

In May, Gondar sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 112 mm of rain across 13.9 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of May to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Gondar's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gondar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
4th warmest
Overnight low
15°
12th coldest
Rainfall
112 mm
13.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
6:09 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
56%
8th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Gondar is city, former capital of Ethiopia.

Founded
1635

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 26°C through the month.

A typical May day in Gondar reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12715
22715
32715
42715
52715
62715
72715
82715
92715
102715
112615
122615
132615
142615
152615
162615
172615
182615
192615
202615
212615
222615
232615
242615
252615
262614
272614
282514
292514
302514
312514

Gondar weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 11°40.811.38.8
Feb27° / 12°51.211.68.3
Mar27° / 14°245.511.97.4
Apr27° / 15°408.212.36.8
May26° / 15°11213.912.66.1
Jun23° / 14°28425.512.74.4
Jul21° / 13°47830.912.73.3
Aug21° / 13°5593112.43.3
Sep22° / 13°43123.512.14.7
Oct24° / 12°857.111.77.7
Nov24° / 11°142.911.48.7
Dec24° / 10°4111.39.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 29% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
25941
35941
45941
55842
65842
75842
85842
95842
105941
115941
125941
135941
145941
155941
165941
175941
185941
195941
205941
215941
225941
235941
245941
255941
265941
275941
285941
295842
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Gondar gets around 112 mm of rain over 13.9 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 45% and peaks near 63% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
235
336
436
537
638
738
839
939
1040
1141
1241
1341
1442
1542
1642
1743
1843
1944
2045
2146
2247
2349
2450
2552
2654
2755
2857
2959
3061
3163

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 80% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
190100
289110
389110
488120
587130
687130
786140
886140
985150
1085150
1185150
1284160
1384160
1484160
1582171
1682171
1781181
1881181
1980191
2079201
2178211
2276231
2375241
2474251
2573261
2671281
2770291
2869301
2967321
3066331
3164351

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of May to 12 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:14 AM to 6:07 AM, and sunset from 6:41 PM to 6:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.46:146:41
212.56:146:41
312.56:136:41
412.56:136:41
512.56:126:41
612.56:126:41
712.56:126:42
812.56:116:42
912.56:116:42
1012.56:116:42
1112.56:106:43
1212.56:106:43
1312.66:106:43
1412.66:096:43
1512.66:096:44
1612.66:096:44
1712.66:096:44
1812.66:096:44
1912.66:086:45
2012.66:086:45
2112.66:086:45
2212.66:086:45
2312.66:086:46
2412.66:086:46
2512.66:076:46
2612.76:076:46
2712.76:076:47
2812.76:076:47
2912.76:076:47
3012.76:076:48
3112.76:076:48

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.32 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.74 kWh/m² to a high of 6.93 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 6.32 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.7Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.4Intense
136.4Intense
146.4Intense
156.4Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Gondar

In seasonPeak

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

Gondar's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Gondar sees seasonal dust haze (June), heaviest in June.

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

Is May a good time to visit Gondar?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Gondar for sightseeing.

What to pack for Gondar in May

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

In May, Gondar sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Gondar 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 Gondar peaks around March 21 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highMar 21UV 15Dec 12UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Gondar 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 Gondar is worst in April — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateOct 1126 µg/m³May 1720 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb22Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr27Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov23Moderate
Dec21Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Gondar?

Gondar sits at 12.6°N, 37.5°E, 2,201 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is K’ola Diba, 25 km away.

Topography around Gondar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gondar has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 395 m around an average of 2,150 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,258 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,365 m.

The land around Gondar is covered by artificial surfaces (31%) and cropland (26%) within 3 km, cropland (66%) within 16 km, and cropland (48%) and grassland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
395 m
16 km
1,258 m
80 km
2,365 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: K’ola Diba 25 km · Amba Giorgis 25 km · Maksenyit 26 km · Āykel 44 km · Dabat 54 km · Tikil Dingay 63 km · Ādīs Zemen 64 km · Debark’ 78 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 Gondar (12.6°, 37.4667°, elevation 2,201 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).