Varanasi weather in May

In May, Varanasi sees average daytime highs of 40°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 9 mm of rain across 2.9 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 40°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 89% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of May to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Varanasi's 4th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Varanasi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
40°
1st warmest
Overnight low
27°
10th coldest
Rainfall
9 mm
2.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
5:17 AM – 6:31 PM
Cloud cover
19%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
7.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Varanasi is city on the banks of the Ganges in the Uttar Pradesh state of India.

Air quality
Severe
PM10 183.6 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
14,183/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 40°C through the month.

A typical May day in Varanasi reaches about 40°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 37°C and 43°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C warmer than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°40°45°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14026
24026
34026
44026
54026
64027
74027
84027
94027
104027
114027
124027
134027
144027
154027
164028
174028
184028
194028
204028
214028
224028
234028
244028
254028
264028
274028
284028
294028
304029
314029

How May really feels in Varanasi

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.

Varanasi weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 1st-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 11°172.210.68.8
Feb27° / 14°172.311.18.3
Mar33° / 18°122.111.84.6
Apr38° / 24°6212.61.0
May40° / 27°92.913.20.0
Jun38° / 29°13212.613.50.9
Jul33° / 28°29524.513.42.1
Aug32° / 27°24724.212.92.4
Sep32° / 26°16317.512.23.1
Oct32° / 22°374.111.45.0
Nov29° / 16°60.610.87.6
Dec24° / 12°70.910.59.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 89% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 5%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1955
2955
3955
4964
5964
6964
7964
8964
9964
10964
11964
12964
13964
14964
15964
16964
17964
18955
19964
20964
21964
22964
23964
24955
25955
26955
27946
28946
29937
30928
31919

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Varanasi gets around 9 mm of rain over 2.9 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 9% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
19
29
39
49
59
69
79
89
98
108
118
128
137
147
157
167
177
187
198
208
218
229
239
2410
2511
2611
2712
2813
2914
3014
3115

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 27% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 56% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
121241828100
220231828110
318231829120
417231829130
516231829140
615221829160
714221729171
814221729181
913211728201
1013201728211
1112201728221
1212191727231
1311191727251
1411181727262
1511171726272
1610171726282
1710161726293
189151725303
199151725314
209141625324
218131624335
228131623355
238121523366
248121522376
258121522386
268111521397
277111421397
287101420408
297101420419
306914194110
316914194111

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of May to 13 h 24 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 5:27 AM to 5:12 AM, and sunset from 6:23 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:276:23
213.05:266:24
313.05:266:24
413.05:256:25
513.05:246:25
613.05:236:26
713.15:236:26
813.15:226:27
913.15:216:27
1013.15:216:28
1113.15:206:28
1213.25:196:29
1313.25:196:30
1413.25:186:30
1513.25:186:31
1613.25:176:31
1713.25:176:32
1813.35:166:32
1913.35:166:33
2013.35:156:33
2113.35:156:34
2213.35:156:34
2313.35:146:35
2413.45:146:35
2513.45:146:36
2613.45:136:36
2713.45:136:37
2813.45:136:37
2913.45:126:38
3013.45:126:38
3113.45:126:39

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.19 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.07 kWh/m² to a high of 7.19 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 7.19 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.2Intense
27.2Intense
37.2Intense
47.2Intense
57.2Intense
67.2Intense
77.2Intense
87.2Intense
97.2Intense
107.2Intense
117.2Intense
127.2Intense
137.2Intense
147.2Intense
157.2Intense
167.2Intense
177.2Intense
187.2Intense
197.2Intense
207.2Intense
217.1Intense
227.1Intense
237.1Intense
247.1Intense
257.1Intense
267.0Intense
277.0Intense
287.0Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Varanasi

In seasonPeak

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

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

Varanasi's monsoon runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Varanasi sees seasonal dust haze (May–June), heaviest in June.

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

Is May a good time to visit Varanasi?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Varanasi.

What to pack for Varanasi in May

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

In May, Varanasi sees daytime highs around 40°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Varanasi in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Varanasi peaks around August 15 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 19 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highVery highHighModerateAug 15UV 10Jan 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar8Very high
Apr10Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct7High
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Varanasi 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 Varanasi is worst in December — around 307 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 4.6× the cleanest month (July, 67 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240270300330JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery unhealthyUnhealthyVery unhealthyDec 19305 µg/m³Jul 2069 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan290Very unhealthy
Feb223Very unhealthy
Mar166Very unhealthy
Apr116Unhealthy
May104Unhealthy
Jun94Unhealthy
Jul67Unhealthy
Aug78Unhealthy
Sep98Unhealthy
Oct178Very unhealthy
Nov278Very unhealthy
Dec307Very unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Varanasi?

Varanasi sits at 25.3°N, 83.0°E, 86 m above sea level, in India. The nearest listed city is Bodh Gaya, 211 km away.

Bodh GayaLumbiniSiddharthanagarBirgañjButwālGaurTānsenChitwan

Topography around Varanasi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Varanasi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 38 m around an average of 77 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 39 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 420 m.

The land around Varanasi is covered by artificial surfaces (65%) within 3 km, cropland (55%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 16 km, and cropland (80%) within 80 km.

3 km
38 m
16 km
39 m
80 km
420 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Bodh Gaya 211 km · Lumbini 239 km · Siddharthanagar 247 km · Birgañj 266 km · Butwāl 268 km · Gaur 278 km · Tānsen 288 km · Chitwan 299 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 Varanasi (25.3167°, 83.0104°, elevation 86 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).