Poptún weather in May

In May, Poptún sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 133 mm of rain across 17 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of May to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Poptún's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Poptún's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
1st warmest
Overnight low
22°
11th coldest
Rainfall
133 mm
17 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:31 AM – 6:17 PM
Cloud cover
64%
6th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.7 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month.

A typical May day in Poptún reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13322
23322
33322
43322
53322
63322
73322
83322
93322
103322
113322
123322
133322
143322
153222
163222
173222
183222
193222
203222
213223
223223
233223
243223
253223
263223
273223
283223
293223
303223
313223

How May really feels in Poptún

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
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.

Poptún weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 1st-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°7114.511.16.1
Feb28° / 19°449.811.56.3
Mar30° / 20°549.311.95.4
Apr32° / 21°628.912.44.1
May32° / 22°1331712.83.2
Jun31° / 23°18323.5132.9
Jul31° / 22°13424.212.93.1
Aug31° / 22°16224.612.52.9
Sep31° / 22°21826.712.12.7
Oct29° / 21°23124.111.63.7
Nov27° / 20°1451911.25.0
Dec26° / 19°9417.1115.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25644
35545
45446
55446
65248
75248
85149
95050
104852
114852
124654
134555
144555
154357
164159
174159
184060
194060
203961
213763
223664
233664
243466
253466
263268
273169
283070
292872
302674
312575

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Poptún gets around 133 mm of rain over 17 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 56% and peaks near 72% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
238
339
440
541
643
744
846
947
1048
1150
1251
1353
1454
1556
1657
1759
1860
1961
2062
2162
2263
2364
2465
2566
2667
2768
2869
2970
3071
3172

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 78% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1230671
2229672
3228682
4227692
5226702
6225712
7224722
8224722
9223732
10222742
11222742
12221752
13220762
14220762
15219772
16218773
17217783
18216793
19215803
20115813
21114823
22113833
23112834
24111844
25110854
2619855
2708866
2807876
2906877
3005887
3105878

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 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of May to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:37 AM to 5:28 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 6:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:376:12
212.65:376:13
312.65:366:13
412.65:366:13
512.65:356:13
612.65:356:14
712.75:356:14
812.75:346:14
912.75:346:15
1012.75:336:15
1112.75:336:15
1212.75:326:15
1312.75:326:16
1412.75:326:16
1512.75:316:16
1612.85:316:17
1712.85:316:17
1812.85:316:17
1912.85:306:18
2012.85:306:18
2112.85:306:18
2212.85:306:19
2312.85:296:19
2412.85:296:19
2512.85:296:20
2612.95:296:20
2712.95:296:20
2812.95:296:21
2912.95:286:21
3012.95:286:22
3112.95:286:22

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.7 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.48 kWh/m² to a high of 5.99 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 5.7 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Intense
36.0Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Bright
66.0Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Poptún?

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

3.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Poptún.

What to pack for Poptún in May

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

In May, Poptún sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 17 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Poptún in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Poptún peaks around April 9 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 9UV 13Dec 15UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Poptún 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 Poptún is worst in April — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 6.2× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 2231 µg/m³Dec 175 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar10Good
Apr32Moderate
May29Moderate
Jun24Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Poptún?

Poptún sits at 16.3°N, 89.4°W, 533 m above sea level, in Guatemala. The nearest listed city is Punta Gorda, 70 km away.

Punta GordaFloresSan BenitoSayaxchéMelchor de MencosEl EstorLívingstonSan Ignacio

Topography around Poptún

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Poptún has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m around an average of 515 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 515 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,158 m.

The land around Poptún is covered by trees (47%) and grassland (36%) within 3 km, trees (62%) and grassland (37%) within 16 km, and trees (63%) and grassland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
171 m
16 km
515 m
80 km
1,158 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Punta Gorda 70 km · Flores 83 km · San Benito 84 km · Sayaxché 85 km · Melchor de Mencos 86 km · El Estor 89 km · Lívingston 91 km · San Ignacio 99 km

Guatemala travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 43% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,598
2025
Happiness
6.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
49%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
23.4
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
22.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 510
Religion
Evangelical 46%Roman Catholic 42%none 11%

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 Poptún (16.3311°, -89.4169°, elevation 533 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).