Harar weather in May

In May, Harar sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 122 mm of rain across 19.9 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Harar's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
5th warmest
Overnight low
16°
10th coldest
Rainfall
122 mm
19.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
5:55 AM – 6:21 PM
Cloud cover
60%
11th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Harar is city in the east of 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 24°C through the month.

A typical May day in Harar reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12516
22516
32516
42516
52516
62516
72516
82516
92516
102516
112516
122516
132516
142516
152416
162416
172416
182416
192416
202416
212416
222416
232416
242415
252415
262415
272415
282415
292415
302415
312415

Harar weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 13°112.211.58.6
Feb26° / 14°152.311.78.1
Mar26° / 16°476.911.97.3
Apr25° / 16°10815.912.25.9
May24° / 16°12219.912.45.5
Jun24° / 15°4010.112.56.9
Jul23° / 15°6315.312.56.1
Aug23° / 15°8117.512.35.8
Sep24° / 15°7114.312.16.4
Oct24° / 14°7110.911.87.0
Nov24° / 13°253.911.68.4
Dec24° / 13°112.211.58.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24258
34258
44159
54159
64258
74258
84357
94357
104456
114456
124654
134555
144654
154753
164852
174951
185050
195149
205248
215347
225446
235446
245545
255644
265743
275743
285743
295842
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Harar gets around 122 mm of rain over 19.9 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 63% and peaks near 71% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
170
270
371
471
571
670
770
870
969
1069
1168
1267
1367
1466
1565
1664
1763
1862
1962
2061
2160
2260
2359
2458
2557
2657
2756
2855
2954
3053
3152

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 58% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1145531
2145432
3135433
4125434
5115534
6115534
7105535
8105535
995635
1095536
1195536
1285636
1385636
1485735
1585735
1675934
1776033
1876033
1976132
2086032
2186131
2286131
2396130
2496130
25106129
26106228
27116227
28116326
29126226
30136225
31136324

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 6 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
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:59 AM to 5:54 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 6:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:596:18
212.35:596:19
312.35:586:19
412.35:586:19
512.45:586:19
612.45:576:19
712.45:576:19
812.45:576:19
912.45:576:19
1012.45:566:20
1112.45:566:20
1212.45:566:20
1312.45:566:20
1412.45:556:20
1512.45:556:20
1612.45:556:21
1712.45:556:21
1812.45:556:21
1912.45:556:21
2012.45:546:21
2112.55:546:22
2212.55:546:22
2312.55:546:22
2412.55:546:22
2512.55:546:22
2612.55:546:23
2712.55:546:23
2812.55:546:23
2912.55:546:23
3012.55:546:24
3112.55:546:24

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.54 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.94 kWh/m² to a high of 6.34 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.54 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Harar

In seasonPeak

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

Harar's rainy season runs April–May, 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 Harar?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Harar for sightseeing.

What to pack for Harar in May

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

In May, Harar sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Harar 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 Harar peaks around March 17 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 23 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 17UV 16Nov 23UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Harar 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 Harar is worst in October — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateOct 2219 µg/m³Aug 2014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct19Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Harar?

Harar sits at 9.3°N, 42.1°E, 1,917 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is ‘Alemaya, 15 km away.

Topography around Harar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Harar has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 414 m around an average of 1,948 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,114 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,622 m.

The land around Harar is covered by shrubs (43%), artificial surfaces (29%) and cropland (23%) within 3 km, shrubs (51%) and cropland (45%) within 16 km, and shrubs (61%) and cropland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
414 m
16 km
1,114 m
80 km
2,622 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: ‘Alemaya 15 km · Felana 18 km · Funyan Bīra 24 km · Babīlē 25 km · Dire Dawa 42 km · Chinahsen 58 km · Chelenko 62 km · Deder 74 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 Harar (9.3139°, 42.1181°, elevation 1,917 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).