Tamale weather in May

In May, Tamale sees average daytime highs of 35°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 68 mm of rain across 12.1 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 35°C in the first days to 34°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Tamale's 8th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tamale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
4th warmest
Overnight low
26°
10th coldest
Rainfall
68 mm
12.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
5:47 AM – 6:12 PM
Cloud cover
69%
8th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.5
out of 10

Tamale is city in Northern Region, Ghana.

Density
619/km²
people per km²
Founded
1906

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 35°C in the first days to 34°C by the end.

A typical May day in Tamale reaches about 35°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°C and 37°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13626
23526
33526
43526
53526
63526
73526
83526
93526
103526
113526
123526
133526
143526
153526
163526
173526
183526
193526
203426
213426
223426
233426
243425
253425
263425
273425
283425
293425
303425
313325

How May really feels in Tamale

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 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
31
25 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
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.

Tamale weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 22°20.311.53.7
Feb37° / 24°61.311.72.1
Mar38° / 27°214.711.91.3
Apr37° / 27°519.612.21.7
May35° / 26°6812.112.42.5
Jun32° / 24°7813.112.53.5
Jul30° / 24°1522112.53.6
Aug29° / 23°22525.512.33.4
Sep30° / 23°17922.812.13.4
Oct32° / 23°6911.411.83.9
Nov34° / 23°71.411.63.5
Dec34° / 21°20.111.53.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33466
43466
53565
63565
73565
83565
93565
103664
113664
123664
133664
143664
153664
163664
173664
183565
193565
203565
213565
223466
233367
243268
253268
263268
273169
283169
293070
303070
313169

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Tamale gets around 68 mm of rain over 12.1 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 39% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
241
341
441
541
640
740
840
939
1038
1138
1237
1336
1436
1535
1635
1735
1835
1935
2036
2136
2237
2338
2439
2539
2640
2741
2842
2942
3043
3144

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 89% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
15905
25905
34906
44897
54897
63898
73898
83898
93889
102899
112899
122899
132899
142899
152899
162899
172899
182899
192899
202899
212899
223889
233889
243889
253889
263889
273889
283889
293889
303889
313889

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

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 5:51 AM to 5:46 AM, and sunset from 6:10 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:516:10
212.35:506:10
312.35:506:11
412.35:506:11
512.45:496:11
612.45:496:11
712.45:496:11
812.45:496:11
912.45:486:11
1012.45:486:11
1112.45:486:12
1212.45:486:12
1312.45:476:12
1412.45:476:12
1512.45:476:12
1612.45:476:12
1712.45:476:13
1812.45:466:13
1912.45:466:13
2012.55:466:13
2112.55:466:13
2212.55:466:14
2312.55:466:14
2412.55:466:14
2512.55:466:14
2612.55:466:15
2712.55:466:15
2812.55:466:15
2912.55:466:15
3012.55:466:16
3112.55:466:16

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.43 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 5.94 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.0Intense
86.0Intense
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.0Intense
126.0Intense
136.0Intense
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Tamale

In seasonPeak

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

Tamale's monsoon runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Tamale sees seasonal dust haze (January–May), heaviest in February.

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

Is May a good time to visit Tamale?

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

2.5
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tamale.

What to pack for Tamale in May

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

In May, Tamale sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Tamale 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 Tamale peaks around April 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 13UV 13Dec 21UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Tamale 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 Tamale is worst in December — around 113 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.2× the cleanest month (August, 16 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModerateUnhealthyDec 22111 µg/m³Aug 1116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan104Unhealthy
Feb84Unhealthy
Mar48Poor
Apr38Poor
May21Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov59Unhealthy
Dec113Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Tamale?

Tamale sits at 9.4°N, 0.8°W, 196 m above sea level, in Ghana. The nearest listed city is Savelugu, 25 km away.

YendiSalagaDamongoBimbilaYegyiNaleriguBolgatanga

Topography around Tamale

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tamale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m around an average of 173 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 106 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 206 m.

The land around Tamale is covered by artificial surfaces (76%) within 3 km, cropland (67%) within 16 km, and cropland (36%), grassland (32%) and shrubs (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
57 m
16 km
106 m
80 km
206 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Savelugu 25 km · Yendi 91 km · Salaga 101 km · Damongo 113 km · Bimbila 116 km · Yegyi 132 km · Nalerigu 135 km · Bolgatanga 154 km

Ghana travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,257
2025
Happiness
4.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
43%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
25.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 540
Religion
Christian 71%Muslim 20%other 5%traditionalist 3%

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 Tamale (9.4008°, -0.8393°, elevation 196 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).