Madurai weather in May

In May, Madurai sees average daytime highs of 38°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 63 mm of rain across 12.8 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 38°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 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 Madurai's 6th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Madurai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
1st warmest
Overnight low
27°
12th coldest
Rainfall
63 mm
12.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
6:00 AM – 6:27 PM
Cloud cover
67%
6th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.9
out of 10

Madurai is city of Tamil Nadu in southern India.

Air quality
High
PM2.5 34.7 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
9,905/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 38°C through the month.

A typical May day in Madurai reaches about 38°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°C and 41°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 2°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°40°45°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13827
23827
33827
43827
53827
63827
73827
83827
93827
103827
113827
123827
133827
143827
153827
163827
173827
183827
193827
203827
213827
223827
233827
243827
253827
263827
273827
283827
293827
303827
313827

How May really feels in Madurai

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.

Madurai 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
Jan31° / 21°122.611.55.3
Feb34° / 22°152.711.73.8
Mar37° / 24°244.211.92.0
Apr38° / 26°488.712.21.1
May38° / 27°6312.812.40.9
Jun37° / 26°4610.112.61.6
Jul36° / 26°5211.712.51.9
Aug36° / 26°7013.212.31.9
Sep36° / 25°8213.612.11.9
Oct33° / 24°16818.911.82.6
Nov30° / 23°1601711.53.9
Dec30° / 22°768.111.45.3

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 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
24951
34852
44852
54753
64555
74555
84456
94456
104357
114357
124258
134159
144258
154159
164159
174060
184060
193961
203961
213862
223763
233664
243664
253565
263466
273367
283268
293169
303070
312971

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Madurai gets around 63 mm of rain over 12.8 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 42% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
240
340
441
541
642
742
842
941
1041
1140
1239
1338
1438
1537
1637
1736
1836
1937
2037
2138
2238
2338
2439
2539
2640
2741
2841
2942
3042
3142

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 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1134623
2134623
3135613
4235594
5235594
6236584
7237565
8237565
9338545
10339535
11340525
12441505
13442495
14443485
15444475
16444465
17545455
18446455
19447444
20447444
21448444
22448444
23449443
24349453
25349453
26350452
27350452
28350452
29251452
30251452
31252451

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 6:04 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 6:25 PM to 6:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:046:25
212.46:046:25
312.46:046:25
412.46:036:25
512.46:036:26
612.46:036:26
712.46:026:26
812.46:026:26
912.46:026:26
1012.46:016:26
1112.46:016:26
1212.46:016:27
1312.46:016:27
1412.46:016:27
1512.46:006:27
1612.56:006:27
1712.56:006:28
1812.56:006:28
1912.56:006:28
2012.56:006:28
2112.55:596:28
2212.55:596:29
2312.55:596:29
2412.55:596:29
2512.55:596:29
2612.55:596:30
2712.55:596:30
2812.55:596:30
2912.55:596:30
3012.55:596:31
3112.55:596:31

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.02 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.14 kWh/m² to a high of 6.63 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 6.02 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
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Madurai

In seasonPeak

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

Madurai's rainy season runs September–December, 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 Madurai?

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

0.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.3
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Madurai.

What to pack for Madurai in May

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

In May, Madurai sees daytime highs around 38°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Madurai 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 Madurai peaks around August 16 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 highAug 16UV 13Dec 21UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Madurai 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 Madurai is worst in November — around 47 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.1× the cleanest month (July, 23 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Madurai's WHO annual average of 34.7 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorModeratePoorNov 2046 µg/m³Jul 1423 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan41Poor
Feb35Moderate
Mar34Moderate
Apr35Moderate
May37Poor
Jun24Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct43Poor
Nov47Poor
Dec46Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Madurai?

Madurai sits at 9.9°N, 78.1°E, 139 m above sea level, in India. The nearest listed city is Munnar, 117 km away.

AlappuzhaKochiJaffnaThaikattusseryMannarValvedditturaiPoint Pedro

Topography around Madurai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Madurai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 25 m around an average of 137 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 283 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,338 m.

The land around Madurai is covered by artificial surfaces (75%) within 3 km, cropland (37%) and trees (26%) within 16 km, and cropland (41%) and trees (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
25 m
16 km
283 m
80 km
2,338 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Munnar 117 km · Alappuzha 202 km · Kochi 204 km · Jaffna 209 km · Thaikattussery 214 km · Mannar 219 km · Valvedditturai 225 km · Point Pedro 232 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 Madurai (9.919°, 78.1195°, elevation 139 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).