Medan weather in May

In May, Medan sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 279 mm of rain across 27.1 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Medan's 8th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Medan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
23°
12th coldest
Rainfall
279 mm
27.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:17 AM – 6:26 PM
Cloud cover
87%
8th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.17 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.3
out of 10

Medan is city in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia.

Founded
1590

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 32°C through the month.

A typical May day in Medan reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 33°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)
13224
23224
33224
43224
53224
63224
73224
83224
93224
103224
113224
123224
133224
143223
153223
163223
173223
183223
193223
203223
213223
223223
233223
243223
253223
263223
273223
283223
293223
303223
313223

How May really feels in Medan

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.

Medan weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 2nd-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 23°20324.711.83.0
Feb31° / 23°14520.511.93.0
Mar32° / 23°19023.1122.7
Apr32° / 23°24326.112.12.3
May32° / 23°27927.112.22.3
Jun32° / 23°20922.912.22.7
Jul32° / 23°2172412.22.8
Aug31° / 23°24926.112.12.6
Sep31° / 23°35328.2122.4
Oct31° / 23°39329.511.92.4
Nov30° / 23°36628.711.82.5
Dec30° / 23°30227.911.82.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 92%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1694
2694
3694
4694
5694
6694
7694
8694
9793
10793
11793
12892
13892
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
201090
211090
221090
231090
241090
251090
261090
271090
28991
29991
30991
31991

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Medan gets around 279 mm of rain over 27.1 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 87% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
189
289
389
489
589
688
788
888
987
1087
1187
1286
1386
1486
1586
1686
1786
1886
1986
2086
2187
2287
2387
2487
2587
2687
2786
2886
2986
3085
3185

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 83% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11585
21585
31486
41486
51486
61486
71486
81585
91585
101585
111684
121684
131783
141783
151783
161783
171882
181882
191882
201882
211981
221981
231981
241981
251981
262080
272080
282080
292080
302179
312179

Wind in May

Winds average 4 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 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
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 12 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 6:19 AM to 6:17 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:196:26
212.16:196:26
312.16:186:26
412.16:186:26
512.16:186:26
612.16:186:26
712.16:186:26
812.16:186:26
912.16:176:26
1012.16:176:26
1112.26:176:26
1212.26:176:26
1312.26:176:26
1412.26:176:26
1512.26:176:26
1612.26:176:26
1712.26:176:27
1812.26:176:27
1912.26:176:27
2012.26:176:27
2112.26:176:27
2212.26:176:27
2312.26:176:27
2412.26:176:27
2512.26:176:27
2612.26:176:28
2712.26:176:28
2812.26:176:28
2912.26:176:28
3012.26:176:28
3112.26:176:28

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.17 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.1 kWh/m² to a high of 5.51 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 5.17 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Medan

In seasonPeak

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

Medan 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 Medan?

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

2.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Medan.

What to pack for Medan in May

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

In May, Medan sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Medan 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 at the nearest coast (about 40 km away) is warmest in June at about 30°C and coldest in January 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
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Medan 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 Medan peaks around February 19 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 19UV 14Jun 23UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Medan 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 Medan is worst in September — around 33 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateSep 1632 µg/m³Dec 1123 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan26Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar32Moderate
Apr31Moderate
May30Moderate
Jun29Moderate
Jul30Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep33Moderate
Oct30Moderate
Nov23Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Medan?

Medan sits at 3.6°N, 98.7°E, 26 m above sea level, in Indonesia. The nearest listed city is Sunggal, 6.0 km away.

Topography around Medan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Medan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 25 m around an average of 27 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 127 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,429 m.

The land around Medan is covered by artificial surfaces (85%) within 3 km, trees (42%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) and water (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
25 m
16 km
127 m
80 km
2,429 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
May weather nearby: Sunggal 6.0 km · Deli Tua 9.0 km · Binjai 20 km · Belawan 21 km · Percut 22 km · Stabat 29 km · Perbaungan 32 km · Labuhan Deli 33 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 Medan (3.5833°, 98.6667°, elevation 26 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).