Papeete weather in May

In May, Papeete sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 115 mm of rain across 16.6 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-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 44% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Papeete's 5th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Papeete's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
5th warmest
Overnight low
25°
9th coldest
Rainfall
115 mm
16.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
6:19 AM – 5:30 PM
Cloud cover
51%
5th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Papeete is capital of French Polynesia.

Density
1,515/km²
people per km²
Founded
1818

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 Papeete reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 27°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)
12625
22625
32625
42625
52625
62625
72625
82625
92625
102625
112625
122625
132625
142625
152625
162625
172625
182625
192625
202625
212625
222625
232625
242625
252625
262625
272625
282625
292625
302625
312625

Papeete weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 25°25724.312.94.4
Feb27° / 25°23122.212.64.4
Mar27° / 25°18721.212.14.9
Apr27° / 25°14418.911.65.2
May26° / 25°11516.611.25.9
Jun25° / 24°8513.3116.5
Jul25° / 24°6312.811.16.8
Aug25° / 24°591111.47.1
Sep25° / 24°7712.211.96.8
Oct25° / 24°11815.612.46.1
Nov26° / 24°1441912.85.3
Dec26° / 25°28823.9134.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% 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 35%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35743
45842
55743
65842
75842
85941
96040
106139
116139
126238
136337
146436
156535
166634
176634
186733
196733
206931
216931
226931
237129
247129
257129
267129
277327
287327
297327
307525
317525

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Papeete gets around 115 mm of rain over 16.6 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 53% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
260
360
460
560
660
760
859
959
1058
1157
1256
1355
1454
1553
1652
1752
1851
1950
2050
2149
2248
2348
2447
2547
2647
2747
2847
2947
3047
3147

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 81% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
129854
229854
339853
439853
5310843
6310843
7310852
8311842
9311842
10312832
11312832
12313822
13313822
14314821
15315811
16315811
17316801
18316801
19317791
20317791
21318790
22318790
23319780
24319780
25319780
26320770
27320770
28321760
29321760
30322750
31422740

Wind in May

Winds average 22 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
622breezy
722breezy
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:14 AM to 6:25 AM, and sunset from 5:37 PM to 5:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:145:37
211.46:155:36
311.36:155:36
411.36:155:35
511.36:155:35
611.36:165:34
711.36:165:34
811.36:165:33
911.36:175:33
1011.36:175:32
1111.26:175:32
1211.26:185:31
1311.26:185:31
1411.26:185:31
1511.26:195:30
1611.26:195:30
1711.26:195:30
1811.26:205:29
1911.16:205:29
2011.16:215:29
2111.16:215:28
2211.16:215:28
2311.16:225:28
2411.16:225:28
2511.16:225:28
2611.16:235:27
2711.16:235:27
2811.16:235:27
2911.16:245:27
3011.06:245:27
3111.06:255:27

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.1 kWh/m² to a high of 6.61 kWh/m² in November across the year — May's 4.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Papeete

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

5.9
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Papeete for sightseeing.

What to pack for Papeete in May

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

In May, Papeete sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 25°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and a windbreaker. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothesa windbreaker

Sea temperature near Papeete 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 March at about 29°C and coldest in August near 26°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Tropical
Jun28Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Papeete in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Papeete peaks around February 14 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 14UV 16Jun 17UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov15Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Papeete?

Papeete sits at 17.5°S, 149.6°W, 42 m above sea level, in French Polynesia. The nearest listed city is Faaa, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Papeete

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Papeete has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 342 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,814 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,792 m.

The land around Papeete is covered by water (47%), artificial surfaces (27%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, water (62%) and trees (33%) within 16 km, and water (91%) within 80 km.

3 km
342 m
16 km
1,814 m
80 km
1,792 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Faaa 5.0 km · Punaauia 11 km · Moorea 28 km · Bora Bora 258 km · Avarua 1,146 km · Alofi 2,154 km · Adamstown 2,181 km · Pago Pago 2,288 km

French Polynesia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B / C / E / F
110 / 220 V · 50 / 60 Hz
GDP per capita
$22,440
2024
Safe drinking water
90%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.4
per 100k, 2009
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 54%Roman Catholic 30%other 10%no religion 6%

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 Papeete (-17.5347°, -149.5684°, elevation 42 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).