Sifra weather in May

In May, Sifra sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 24 mm of rain across 4.5 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 32°C in the first days to 34°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sifra's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sifra's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
21°
9th coldest
Rainfall
24 mm
4.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
6:00 AM – 6:32 PM
Cloud cover
36%
4th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 32°C in the first days to 34°C by the end.

A typical May day in Sifra reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C warmer than April and about 2°C cooler than June.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13120
23220
33220
43220
53220
63220
73220
83220
93220
103220
113220
123220
133321
143321
153321
163321
173321
183321
193321
203321
213321
223321
233321
243321
253421
263421
273421
283421
293421
303421
313421

How May really feels in Sifra

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 24 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
24
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.

Sifra weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 3rd-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 15°315.911.47.6
Feb28° / 16°254.811.67.2
Mar29° / 18°6710.311.95.5
Apr31° / 19°6810.512.34.8
May33° / 21°244.512.54.3
Jun35° / 22°20.712.73.5
Jul33° / 22°368.312.63.6
Aug32° / 21°5713.112.44.0
Sep32° / 21°22612.14.8
Oct30° / 18°183.911.76.0
Nov28° / 16°192.811.57.5
Dec27° / 15°223.211.38.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27426
37426
47426
57525
67624
77624
87723
97822
107822
117921
127921
138020
148020
158020
168020
178020
188020
198119
208119
218119
228119
238119
248218
258218
268218
278218
288218
298317
308317
318317

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sifra gets around 24 mm of rain over 4.5 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 15% 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
524
623
722
820
919
1018
1117
1216
1316
1415
1514
1614
1713
1813
1912
2012
2111
2211
2310
2410
259
269
278
287
297
306
315

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 66% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14426264
24526254
34627243
44727233
54927222
65127202
75227192
85426182
95626171
105825161
116024151
126124141
136323131
146422131
156621121
166720121
176919111
187018111
197117111
207216111
217415101
227514101
237514101
24771391
25771391
26791380
27811270
28821260
29831160
30851050
31861040

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of May to 12 h 36 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 6:05 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.46:056:29
212.46:056:29
312.46:046:30
412.46:046:30
512.46:036:30
612.56:036:30
712.56:036:30
812.56:026:30
912.56:026:31
1012.56:026:31
1112.56:016:31
1212.56:016:31
1312.56:016:31
1412.56:016:32
1512.56:006:32
1612.56:006:32
1712.56:006:32
1812.56:006:33
1912.66:006:33
2012.65:596:33
2112.65:596:33
2212.65:596:34
2312.65:596:34
2412.65:596:34
2512.65:596:34
2612.65:596:35
2712.65:596:35
2812.65:596:35
2912.65:596:36
3012.65:596:36
3112.65:596:36

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.13 kWh/m² to a high of 6.69 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 6.63 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.7Intense
36.7Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.4Intense
306.4Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Sifra

In seasonPeak

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

Sifra sees seasonal dust haze (June–August), heaviest in July.

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

Is May a good time to visit Sifra?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
7.4
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sifra for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Sifra in May

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

In May, Sifra sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Sifra in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sifra peaks around March 18 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeExtremeVery highMar 18UV 14Dec 13UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Sifra 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 Sifra is worst in September — around 42 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateSep 942 µg/m³Nov 1729 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan32Moderate
Feb33Moderate
Mar35Moderate
Apr32Moderate
May36Poor
Jun42Poor
Jul39Poor
Aug41Poor
Sep42Poor
Oct31Moderate
Nov29Moderate
Dec31Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sifra?

Sifra sits at 11.6°N, 40.0°E, 936 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Mersa, 41 km away.

Topography around Sifra

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sifra has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 129 m around an average of 939 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 854 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,295 m.

The land around Sifra is covered by grassland (60%) and shrubs (21%) within 3 km, grassland (46%) and shrubs (43%) within 16 km, and shrubs (38%) and grassland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
129 m
16 km
854 m
80 km
3,295 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwetland
May weather nearby: Mersa 41 km · Batī 46 km · Hāyk’ 50 km · Weldiya 53 km · Kombolcha 65 km · Dessie 67 km · Harbu 80 km · Mīlē 84 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 Sifra (11.6046°, 40.0166°, elevation 936 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).