Kourou weather in May

In May, Kourou sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 392 mm of rain across 28.9 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kourou's 12th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kourou's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
7th warmest
Overnight low
25°
9th coldest
Rainfall
392 mm
28.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:20 AM – 6:34 PM
Cloud cover
77%
12th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical May day in Kourou reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12825
22825
32825
42825
52825
62825
72825
82825
92825
102825
112825
122825
132825
142825
152825
162825
172825
182825
192825
202825
212825
222825
232825
242825
252825
262825
272825
282825
292825
302825
312824

How May really feels in Kourou

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Kourou 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
Jan27° / 24°2362611.74.1
Feb27° / 24°19122.511.84.2
Mar28° / 25°16523.8124.3
Apr28° / 25°23625.312.14.0
May28° / 25°39228.912.23.6
Jun28° / 24°34628.712.33.4
Jul29° / 24°2042612.33.8
Aug29° / 25°9016.812.24.8
Sep29° / 25°4010125.5
Oct30° / 25°491211.95.2
Nov29° / 25°12820.411.84.2
Dec28° / 24°24426.911.73.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 75%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23070
33070
42971
52971
62971
72971
82872
92773
102773
112773
122773
132674
142575
152575
162476
172476
182377
192377
202278
212278
222179
232179
242179
252080
262080
272080
282179
292179
302179
312278

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kourou gets around 392 mm of rain over 28.9 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 93% and peaks near 97% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
187
287
387
488
588
689
789
890
990
1091
1192
1292
1393
1493
1594
1694
1794
1895
1995
2096
2196
2296
2396
2497
2597
2697
2797
2897
2997
3097
3197

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 69% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
17525
27426
37327
47228
57129
67030
76931
86832
96832
106733
116634
126634
136634
146535
156535
166634
176634
186634
196733
206733
216832
226931
236931
247030
257129
267228
277327
287327
297426
307426
317525

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 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 6:22 AM to 6:20 AM, and sunset from 6:33 PM to 6:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:226:33
212.26:226:33
312.26:226:33
412.26:226:33
512.26:216:33
612.26:216:33
712.26:216:33
812.26:216:33
912.26:216:33
1012.26:216:33
1112.26:206:33
1212.26:206:33
1312.26:206:34
1412.26:206:34
1512.26:206:34
1612.26:206:34
1712.26:206:34
1812.26:206:34
1912.26:206:34
2012.26:206:34
2112.26:196:34
2212.36:196:35
2312.36:196:35
2412.36:196:35
2512.36:196:35
2612.36:196:35
2712.36:206:35
2812.36:206:36
2912.36:206:36
3012.36:206:36
3112.36:206:36

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.54 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.51 kWh/m² to a high of 6.25 kWh/m² in September across the year — May's 4.54 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kourou

In seasonPeak

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

Kourou's rainy season runs April–July, 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 Kourou?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kourou.

What to pack for Kourou in May

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

In May, Kourou sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kourou in May

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in July at about 28°C and coldest in January near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr27Warm
May28Warm
Jun28Warm
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Tropical
Sep28Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov28Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in Kourou 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 Kourou peaks around April 11 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 11 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 11UV 14Dec 11UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Kourou 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 Kourou is worst in February — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.0× the cleanest month (August, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateFeb 1627 µg/m³Aug 157 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan26Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun12Moderate
Jul8Good
Aug7Good
Sep8Good
Oct10Good
Nov12Good
Dec21Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kourou?

Kourou sits at 5.2°N, 52.6°W, 7 m above sea level, in French Guiana. The nearest listed city is Cayenne, 42 km away.

CayenneMatouryRémire-MontjolySaint-Laurent-du-MaroniOiapoque

Topography around Kourou

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kourou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 67 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 165 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 403 m.

The land around Kourou is covered by water (45%) within 3 km, water (47%) and trees (34%) within 16 km, and trees (57%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
67 m
16 km
165 m
80 km
403 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
May weather nearby: Cayenne 42 km · Matoury 50 km · Rémire-Montjoly 50 km · Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni 158 km · Oiapoque 172 km · Blauwgrond 284 km · Rainville 286 km · Beekhuizen 289 km

French Guiana travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz

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 Kourou (5.1628°, -52.6427°, elevation 7 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).