Pekanbaru weather in May

In May, Pekanbaru sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 191 mm of rain across 24.9 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 8th-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 4% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of May to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Pekanbaru's 5th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pekanbaru's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
1st warmest
Overnight low
24°
12th coldest
Rainfall
191 mm
24.9 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:10 AM – 6:11 PM
Cloud cover
85%
5th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.4
out of 10

Pekanbaru is city in Riau Province, Indonesia.

Density
1,847/km²
people per km²
Founded
1784

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 Pekanbaru reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 34°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
143224
153224
163224
173224
183224
193224
203224
213224
223224
233224
243224
253224
263224
273224
283224
293224
303224
313224

How May really feels in Pekanbaru

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.

Pekanbaru weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 1st-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 23°20924.1122.9
Feb31° / 24°15721.1122.8
Mar32° / 24°21326.1122.4
Apr32° / 24°23327.9122.2
May32° / 24°19124.9122.4
Jun32° / 24°13119.6122.9
Jul32° / 24°12419.1123.1
Aug32° / 24°15722.1122.8
Sep32° / 23°19523.8122.6
Oct32° / 24°24127122.4
Nov31° / 24°29827.9122.4
Dec31° / 24°26326.8122.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 86%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
91090
101189
111387
121387
131486
141585
151585
161585
171585
181684
191684
201684
211684
221783
231783
241783
251783
261684
271585
281684
291684
301684
311585

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Pekanbaru gets around 191 mm of rain over 24.9 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 81% and peaks near 90% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
190
289
389
488
587
686
786
885
984
1083
1182
1281
1380
1479
1579
1678
1778
1878
1978
2077
2177
2277
2377
2477
2577
2676
2776
2876
2976
3075
3175

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 99% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1199
2199
3199
4199
5199
6199
7199
8199
9199
10199
11199
12199
13199
14199
15199
16199
17199
18199
19199
20199
21199
22199
23199
24298
25298
26298
27298
28397
29397
30496
31496

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 hours at the start of May to 12 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:11 AM to 6:11 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:116:12
212.06:116:12
312.06:116:12
412.06:106:12
512.06:106:12
612.06:106:11
712.06:106:11
812.06:106:11
912.06:106:11
1012.06:106:11
1112.06:106:11
1212.06:106:11
1312.06:106:11
1412.06:106:11
1512.06:106:11
1612.06:106:11
1712.06:106:11
1812.06:106:11
1912.06:106:11
2012.06:106:11
2112.06:106:11
2212.06:106:11
2312.06:106:12
2412.06:106:12
2512.06:106:12
2612.06:106:12
2712.06:106:12
2812.06:106:12
2912.06:116:12
3012.06:116:12
3112.06:116:12

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.97 kWh/m² to a high of 5.03 kWh/m² in September across the year — May's 4.64 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Pekanbaru?

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

2.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Pekanbaru.

What to pack for Pekanbaru in May

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

In May, Pekanbaru sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Pekanbaru 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 Pekanbaru peaks around February 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 18UV 15Jun 23UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Pekanbaru 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 Pekanbaru is worst in September — around 50 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 23 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateSep 1549 µg/m³Dec 1723 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan25Moderate
Feb32Moderate
Mar34Moderate
Apr30Moderate
May28Moderate
Jun29Moderate
Jul33Moderate
Aug43Poor
Sep50Poor
Oct42Poor
Nov25Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Pekanbaru?

Pekanbaru sits at 0.5°N, 101.4°E, 19 m above sea level, in Indonesia. The nearest listed city is Balai Pungut, 63 km away.

Topography around Pekanbaru

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pekanbaru has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 24 m around an average of 14 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 80 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 667 m.

The land around Pekanbaru is covered by artificial surfaces (82%) within 3 km, trees (73%) within 16 km, and trees (95%) within 80 km.

3 km
24 m
16 km
80 m
80 km
667 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Balai Pungut 63 km · Payakumbuh 121 km · Dumai 128 km · Sijunjung 145 km · Bukittinggi 150 km · Padangpanjang 158 km · Solok 170 km · Pariaman 194 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 Pekanbaru (0.5167°, 101.4417°, elevation 19 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).