Libreville weather in May

In May, Libreville sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 244 mm of rain across 26.6 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

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

Daytime high
29°
4th warmest
Overnight low
25°
10th coldest
Rainfall
244 mm
26.6 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:18 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
82%
8th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Libreville is capital city of Gabon.

Density
4,477/km²
people per km²
Founded
1849

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 29°C through the month.

A typical May day in Libreville reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12925
22925
32925
42925
52925
62925
72925
82925
92925
102925
112925
122925
132925
142925
152925
162925
172925
182925
192925
202825
212825
222825
232825
242825
252825
262825
272825
282825
292825
302825
312825

How May really feels in Libreville

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 26 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
26
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.

Libreville weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 25°25029.1123.2
Feb29° / 25°21625.7123.1
Mar29° / 25°27028.8123.0
Apr29° / 25°26127.4123.0
May29° / 25°24426.6123.5
Jun27° / 24°8212.4125.8
Jul26° / 23°336.8126.7
Aug26° / 23°368.2126.5
Sep27° / 24°15121.4124.5
Oct28° / 24°35930.3123.4
Nov28° / 24°39329.6123.3
Dec28° / 24°31630.2123.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 88%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11189
21189
31189
41189
51189
61189
71288
81288
91288
101387
111387
121387
131387
141387
151387
161387
171387
181288
191288
201288
211288
221189
231189
241288
251288
261288
271288
281288
291288
301288
311486

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Libreville gets around 244 mm of rain over 26.6 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 85% and peaks near 91% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
191
291
391
491
591
691
791
891
991
1090
1190
1290
1390
1489
1589
1688
1787
1887
1986
2085
2184
2283
2381
2480
2579
2678
2776
2875
2973
3071
3169

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the miserable band about 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11882
21882
31981
41981
52080
62179
72377
82476
92575
102674
112872
122971
133169
143367
153565
163763
174060
184258
194555
204753
215050
225248
235545
245842
256139
266337
276634
286931
297228
307426
317723

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:19 AM to 6:19 AM, and sunset from 6:20 PM to 6:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:196:20
212.06:196:20
312.06:196:20
412.06:196:19
512.06:186:19
612.06:186:19
712.06:186:19
812.06:186:19
912.06:186:19
1012.06:186:19
1112.06:186:19
1212.06:186:19
1312.06:186:19
1412.06:186:19
1512.06:186:19
1612.06:186:19
1712.06:186:19
1812.06:186:19
1912.06:186:19
2012.06:186:19
2112.06:186:19
2212.06:186:19
2312.06:186:19
2412.06:186:19
2512.06:186:19
2612.06:186:20
2712.06:186:20
2812.06:196:20
2912.06:196:20
3012.06:196:20
3112.06:196:20

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.55 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.99 kWh/m² to a high of 4.98 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 4.55 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Libreville

In seasonPeak

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

Libreville's rainy season runs October–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 Libreville?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Libreville.

What to pack for Libreville in May

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

In May, Libreville sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Libreville 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 25°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Libreville in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Libreville peaks around March 20 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeVery highMar 20UV 13Jun 19UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Libreville 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 Libreville is worst in February — around 46 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.3× the cleanest month (September, 21 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateFeb 1345 µg/m³Sep 2321 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan41Poor
Feb46Poor
Mar36Poor
Apr31Moderate
May30Moderate
Jun32Moderate
Jul31Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep21Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec36Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Libreville?

Libreville sits at 0.4°N, 9.5°E, 8 m above sea level, in Gabon. The nearest listed city is Owendo, 13 km away.

Port-GentilLambarénéOyamBataCiudad de la Paz

Topography around Libreville

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Libreville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 112 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 560 m.

The land around Libreville is covered by artificial surfaces (60%) and water (28%) within 3 km, water (45%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and trees (49%) and water (42%) within 80 km.

3 km
59 m
16 km
112 m
80 km
560 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
May weather nearby: Owendo 13 km · Akanda 28 km · Ntoum 34 km · Port-Gentil 144 km · Lambaréné 150 km · Oyam 152 km · Bata 167 km · Ciudad de la Paz 203 km

Gabon travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 37% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$8,263
2025
Happiness
5.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Road deaths
23.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 46%Roman Catholic 30%Muslim 11%none 7%

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 Libreville (0.3924°, 9.4536°, elevation 8 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).