Darjeeling weather in May

In May, Darjeeling sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 377 mm of rain across 29 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of May to 13 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Darjeeling's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Darjeeling's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
17°
8th coldest
Rainfall
377 mm
29 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
4:53 AM – 6:13 PM
Cloud cover
67%
8th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Darjeeling is City in West Bengal, India.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 24 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
11,712/km²
people per km²

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 25°C through the month.

A typical May day in Darjeeling reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C warmer than April and on par with June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12516
22516
32516
42516
52516
62516
72516
82517
92517
102517
112517
122517
132517
142517
152517
162517
172517
182518
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282619
292619
302619
312619

Darjeeling weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan16° / 347.310.55.8
Feb18° / 7112.5115.6
Mar22° / 11°13718.911.85.5
Apr24° / 14°22122.812.64.9
May25° / 17°3772913.33.9
Jun26° / 20°61729.413.73.5
Jul25° / 21°86430.613.53.4
Aug26° / 21°54829.7133.5
Sep25° / 19°41627.412.23.9
Oct24° / 15°16419.111.45.7
Nov21° / 11°357.710.77.2
Dec18° / 17410.37.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34159
44159
54159
64159
74159
84159
94060
104060
114060
124060
134060
143862
153763
163565
173565
183367
193268
203169
213070
222971
232872
242773
252773
262674
272575
282575
292476
302476
312377

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Darjeeling gets around 377 mm of rain over 29 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 93% and peaks near 96% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
189
290
390
491
591
691
792
892
992
1092
1192
1292
1392
1493
1593
1693
1793
1894
1994
2094
2194
2294
2395
2495
2595
2695
2796
2896
2996
3096
3196

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 48% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 50% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
122855150
212656170
312457180
412257200
501960210
601760230
701659250
801459270
901357300
1001157320
1101055350
120954370
130852400
140849431
150746461
160644491
170641521
180538552
190536572
200434593
210431623
220329653
230327664
240325684
250223705
260222715
270220726
280218746
290117757
300115768
310114769

Wind in May

Winds average 3 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours at the start of May to 13 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:04 AM to 4:47 AM, and sunset from 6:04 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:046:04
213.05:036:05
313.15:026:06
413.15:016:06
513.15:016:07
613.15:006:07
713.14:596:08
813.24:586:08
913.24:586:09
1013.24:576:10
1113.24:566:10
1213.34:566:11
1313.34:556:11
1413.34:546:12
1513.34:546:12
1613.34:536:13
1713.34:536:14
1813.44:526:14
1913.44:526:15
2013.44:516:15
2113.44:516:16
2213.44:506:16
2313.44:506:17
2413.54:506:18
2513.54:496:18
2613.54:496:19
2713.54:496:19
2813.54:486:20
2913.54:486:20
3013.54:486:21
3113.64:476:21

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.27 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.18 kWh/m² to a high of 5.58 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 5.27 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Darjeeling

In seasonPeak

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

Darjeeling's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Darjeeling?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Darjeeling.

What to pack for Darjeeling in May

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

In May, Darjeeling sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Darjeeling 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 Darjeeling peaks around July 14 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeModerateJul 14UV 13Jan 12UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct7High
Nov4Moderate
Dec5Moderate

Air quality in Darjeeling 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 Darjeeling is worst in January — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.8× the cleanest month (July, 10 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Darjeeling's WHO annual average of 24 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateGoodModerateJan 2138 µg/m³Jul 1810 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan39Poor
Feb38Poor
Mar31Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul10Good
Aug12Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct22Moderate
Nov29Moderate
Dec35Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Darjeeling?

Darjeeling sits at 27.0°N, 88.3°E, 2,127 m above sea level, in India. The nearest listed city is Ilām, 36 km away.

Topography around Darjeeling

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Darjeeling has very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,468 m around an average of 1,773 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,493 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,404 m.

The land around Darjeeling is covered by trees (90%) within 3 km, trees (96%) within 16 km, and trees (70%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,468 m
16 km
2,493 m
80 km
8,404 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Ilām 36 km · Bhadrapur 57 km · Dhankutā 93 km · Dharān 101 km · Īṭahari̇̄ 107 km · Khā̃dbāri̇̄ 111 km · Phuentsholing 113 km · Biratnagar 118 km

India travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / D / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 23% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,702
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
76%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
15.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 484
Religion
Hindu 80%Muslim 14%Christian 2%other and unspecified 2%

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 Darjeeling (27.0333°, 88.2667°, elevation 2,127 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).