Banda Aceh weather in May

In May, Banda Aceh sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 219 mm of rain across 20.4 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Banda Aceh's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Banda Aceh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
25°
12th coldest
Rainfall
219 mm
20.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:27 AM – 6:42 PM
Cloud cover
84%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Banda Aceh is city in Aceh Province, Indonesia.

Density
4,367/km²
people per km²
Founded
1205

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 30°C through the month.

A typical May day in Banda Aceh reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13025
23025
33025
43025
53025
63025
73025
83025
93025
103025
113025
123025
133025
143025
153025
163025
173025
183025
193025
203025
213025
223025
233025
243025
253025
263025
273025
283025
293025
303025
313025

How May really feels in Banda Aceh

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
heat index over the day's high
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.

Banda Aceh weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 24°1371511.74.8
Feb29° / 24°961311.84.7
Mar30° / 25°15619124.0
Apr30° / 25°20224.412.13.3
May30° / 25°21920.412.23.7
Jun30° / 25°11314.512.34.2
Jul30° / 25°12515.112.34.3
Aug30° / 25°15917.412.24.1
Sep29° / 24°19319.2123.9
Oct28° / 24°28224.611.93.6
Nov28° / 24°36126.111.73.4
Dec28° / 24°2632111.74.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11288
21288
31288
41288
51288
61387
71387
81387
91387
101387
111486
121486
131387
141387
151387
161387
171387
181486
191486
201486
211486
221486
231486
241486
251486
261486
271486
281486
291486
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Banda Aceh gets around 219 mm of rain over 20.4 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 66% and peaks near 77% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
177
277
376
476
576
675
775
874
973
1072
1170
1269
1368
1467
1565
1664
1763
1862
1961
2060
2160
2259
2359
2459
2559
2660
2760
2861
2961
3061
3161

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 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
13070
23070
33070
43070
53169
63268
73268
83367
93466
103565
113565
123664
133763
143862
153961
164060
174159
184258
194357
204456
214555
224753
234852
244951
255050
265149
275248
285248
295347
305446
315545

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
17calm
27calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:30 AM to 6:27 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 6:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:306:42
212.26:306:42
312.26:306:42
412.26:296:42
512.26:296:42
612.26:296:42
712.26:296:42
812.26:296:42
912.26:286:42
1012.26:286:42
1112.26:286:42
1212.26:286:42
1312.26:286:42
1412.26:286:42
1512.26:276:42
1612.36:276:42
1712.36:276:43
1812.36:276:43
1912.36:276:43
2012.36:276:43
2112.36:276:43
2212.36:276:43
2312.36:276:43
2412.36:276:44
2512.36:276:44
2612.36:276:44
2712.36:276:44
2812.36:276:44
2912.36:276:45
3012.36:276:45
3112.36:276:45

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.21 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.16 kWh/m² to a high of 5.72 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 5.21 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Banda Aceh

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is May a good time to visit Banda Aceh?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Banda Aceh.

What to pack for Banda Aceh in May

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

In May, Banda Aceh sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Banda Aceh in May

The nearest coast averages about 30°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in May at about 30°C and coldest in December near 29°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Banda Aceh 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 Banda Aceh peaks around February 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 20UV 14Dec 13UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Banda Aceh 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 Banda Aceh is worst in March — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodMar 1717 µg/m³Dec 1212 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov12Moderate
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Banda Aceh?

Banda Aceh sits at 5.5°N, 95.3°E, 9 m above sea level, in Indonesia. The nearest listed city is Sabang, 39 km away.

Langsa

Topography around Banda Aceh

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Banda Aceh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 14 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,320 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,292 m.

The land around Banda Aceh is covered by artificial surfaces (68%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, trees (41%) and water (34%) within 16 km, and water (66%) and trees (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
14 m
16 km
1,320 m
80 km
2,292 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Sabang 39 km · Sigli 72 km · Reuleuet 111 km · Bireun 156 km · Meulaboh 179 km · Lhokseumawe 205 km · Blangpidie 261 km · Langsa 315 km

Indonesia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,060
2025
Happiness
5.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
30%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.3
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
11.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 471
Religion
Muslim 87%Protestant 8%Roman Catholic 3%Hindu 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 Banda Aceh (5.5417°, 95.3333°, elevation 9 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). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).