Copán Ruinas weather in May

In May, Copán Ruinas sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 170 mm of rain across 20 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 6th-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 10% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of May to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Copán Ruinas's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Copán Ruinas's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
1st warmest
Overnight low
19°
11th coldest
Rainfall
170 mm
20 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:32 AM – 6:13 PM
Cloud cover
74%
7th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Copán Ruinas is human settlement in Honduras.

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 Copán Ruinas reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12919
22919
32919
42919
52919
62919
72919
82919
92919
102919
112919
122919
132919
142919
152919
162819
172819
182819
192819
202819
212819
222819
232819
242819
252819
262819
272819
282819
292819
302819
312819

Copán Ruinas weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 1st-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 15°5915.411.25.9
Feb24° / 16°3810.911.56.7
Mar26° / 16°359.911.96.8
Apr28° / 18°4910.712.35.8
May29° / 19°1702012.74.3
Jun28° / 19°28826.112.93.7
Jul26° / 19°20726.112.84.1
Aug27° / 19°22726.112.54.0
Sep27° / 19°31027.312.13.7
Oct26° / 18°2002411.74.4
Nov24° / 17°9317.111.35.5
Dec23° / 16°5615.711.15.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24060
33961
43961
53763
63664
73565
83565
93466
103367
113169
123169
132971
142872
152674
162476
172476
182377
192179
202080
212080
221882
231882
241882
251783
261684
271585
281585
291486
301387
311387

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Copán Ruinas gets around 170 mm of rain over 20 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 65% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
248
349
450
551
653
754
855
956
1057
1157
1258
1360
1461
1562
1663
1765
1866
1968
2069
2170
2272
2373
2475
2576
2678
2779
2881
2982
3083
3184

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 75% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 77% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1435610
2434620
3333640
4331660
5330670
6329680
7328690
8227710
9226720
10225730
11325720
12324721
13324721
14323731
15322741
16221761
17221752
18220762
19219772
20218782
21118792
22117802
23116812
24115813
25114823
26113833
27012853
28011863
29010882
3009892
3108902

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of May to 12 h 48 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 5:38 AM to 5:30 AM, and sunset from 6:10 PM to 6:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.55:386:10
212.55:386:10
312.55:376:10
412.65:376:10
512.65:366:10
612.65:366:11
712.65:356:11
812.65:356:11
912.65:356:11
1012.65:346:12
1112.65:346:12
1212.65:336:12
1312.75:336:13
1412.75:336:13
1512.75:336:13
1612.75:326:13
1712.75:326:14
1812.75:326:14
1912.75:316:14
2012.75:316:15
2112.75:316:15
2212.75:316:15
2312.75:316:16
2412.85:316:16
2512.85:306:16
2612.85:306:17
2712.85:306:17
2812.85:306:17
2912.85:306:18
3012.85:306:18
3112.85:306:18

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 5.58 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Copán Ruinas

In seasonPeak

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

Copán Ruinas's rainy season runs May–October, 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 Copán Ruinas?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Copán Ruinas for sightseeing.

What to pack for Copán Ruinas in May

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

In May, Copán Ruinas sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Copán Ruinas 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 Copán Ruinas peaks around April 11 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highApr 11UV 14Dec 15UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Copán Ruinas 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 Copán Ruinas is worst in April — around 42 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.0× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodApr 2141 µg/m³Dec 2010 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb12Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr42Poor
May37Poor
Jun22Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Copán Ruinas?

Copán Ruinas sits at 14.8°N, 89.2°W, 0 m above sea level, in Honduras. The nearest listed city is Esquipulas, 37 km away.

GualánSan Pedro de CopánSanta Rosa de CopánChiquimulaZacapaCorquín

Topography around Copán Ruinas

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Copán Ruinas has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 550 m around an average of 710 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,064 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,990 m.

The land around Copán Ruinas is covered by trees (67%) within 3 km, trees (80%) within 16 km, and trees (66%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
550 m
16 km
1,064 m
80 km
2,990 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Esquipulas 37 km · Cucuyagua 37 km · Gualán 38 km · San Pedro de Copán 40 km · Santa Rosa de Copán 42 km · Chiquimula 42 km · Zacapa 42 km · Corquín 43 km

Honduras travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 46% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,598
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
66%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
31.4
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
16.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 553
Religion
Evangelical 55%Roman Catholic 33%none 10%

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 Copán Ruinas (14.8394°, -89.1558°, elevation 0 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).