Kolkata weather in May

In May, Kolkata sees average daytime highs of 35°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 122 mm of rain across 11.7 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 35°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of May to 13 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kolkata's 7th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kolkata's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
27°
10th coldest
Rainfall
122 mm
11.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:00 AM – 6:05 PM
Cloud cover
47%
7th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.3
out of 10

Kolkata is capital city of West Bengal, India.

Air quality
Severe
PM2.5 55.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
22,474/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 35°C through the month.

A typical May day in Kolkata reaches about 35°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°C and 38°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 2°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13526
23526
33526
43526
53526
63527
73527
83527
93527
103527
113527
123527
133527
143527
153527
163527
173527
183527
193527
203527
213527
223527
233527
243527
253527
263527
273527
283527
293527
303527
313527

How May really feels in Kolkata

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
31 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.

Kolkata weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 14°131.710.88.9
Feb29° / 17°242.711.27.1
Mar33° / 22°304.311.84.3
Apr35° / 26°688.812.52.6
May35° / 27°12211.713.12.3
Jun33° / 27°26521.913.42.2
Jul32° / 27°34828.813.22.2
Aug32° / 27°30829.312.82.2
Sep32° / 26°25024.912.12.5
Oct31° / 24°13112.911.54.3
Nov29° / 19°292.210.96.8
Dec26° / 15°10110.68.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 30%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18218
28119
38119
48119
58119
68020
78020
87822
97822
107723
117723
127624
137525
147426
157327
167228
177129
186931
196832
206733
216634
226436
236337
246337
256238
266139
276040
285941
295644
305545
315347

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kolkata gets around 122 mm of rain over 11.7 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 38% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
435
535
635
735
834
934
1034
1134
1235
1335
1435
1536
1636
1737
1837
1938
2039
2140
2240
2341
2441
2542
2642
2743
2844
2945
3046
3147

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

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
112970
212871
312772
412574
502476
602278
702080
801981
901783
1001684
1101486
1201288
1301189
140991
150892
160793
170694
180595
190595
200496
210496
220397
230397
240397
250298
260298
270298
280298
290298
300199
310199

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May, the windiest month of the year.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of May to 13 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:09 AM to 4:56 AM, and sunset from 5:58 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:095:58
212.85:085:59
312.95:085:59
412.95:076:00
512.95:066:00
612.95:066:01
712.95:056:01
812.95:056:02
913.05:046:02
1013.05:036:02
1113.05:036:03
1213.05:026:03
1313.05:026:04
1413.05:016:04
1513.15:016:05
1613.15:006:05
1713.15:006:06
1813.15:006:06
1913.14:596:07
2013.14:596:07
2113.24:586:07
2213.24:586:08
2313.24:586:08
2413.24:576:09
2513.24:576:09
2613.24:576:10
2713.24:576:10
2813.24:566:11
2913.24:566:11
3013.34:566:12
3113.34:566:12

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.88 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.9 kWh/m² to a high of 6.32 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 5.88 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.0Intense
116.0Intense
126.0Intense
136.0Bright
146.0Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kolkata

In seasonPeak

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

Kolkata sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

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

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

Is May a good time to visit Kolkata?

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

2.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kolkata.

What to pack for Kolkata in May

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

In May, Kolkata sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Kolkata 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 Kolkata peaks around July 19 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 15 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateModerateJul 19UV 12Jan 15UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul13Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct5Moderate
Nov5High
Dec5Moderate

Air quality in Kolkata 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 Kolkata is worst in January — around 112 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.8× the cleanest month (July, 17 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Kolkata's WHO annual average of 55.8 µg/m³.

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateUnhealthyJan 10112 µg/m³Jul 1417 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan112Unhealthy
Feb91Unhealthy
Mar58Unhealthy
Apr30Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct58Unhealthy
Nov103Unhealthy
Dec111Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kolkata?

Kolkata sits at 22.6°N, 88.4°E, 11 m above sea level, in India. The nearest listed city is Jessore, 110 km away.

RajshahiBarisalDhakaPaharpurMymensingh

Topography around Kolkata

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kolkata has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 24 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 34 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 39 m.

The land around Kolkata is covered by artificial surfaces (75%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (42%) and trees (39%) within 16 km, and cropland (50%) and trees (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
24 m
16 km
34 m
80 km
39 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
May weather nearby: Jessore 110 km · Khulna 126 km · Bagerhat 147 km · Rajshahi 203 km · Barisal 207 km · Dhaka 245 km · Paharpur 281 km · Mymensingh 321 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 Kolkata (22.5626°, 88.363°, elevation 11 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).