Al Madīnah weather in May

In May, Al Madīnah sees average daytime highs of 40°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 4 mm of rain across 0.9 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 37°C in the first days to 43°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Al Madīnah's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Al Madīnah's year-round climate.

Daytime high
40°
5th warmest
Overnight low
26°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4 mm
0.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:00 AM – 6:34 PM
Cloud cover
26%
6th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
7.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 37°C in the first days to 43°C by the end.

A typical May day in Al Madīnah reaches about 40°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 36°C and 44°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

20°30°40°50°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13724
23724
33724
43824
53824
63825
73825
83825
93925
103925
113926
123926
134026
144026
154026
164026
174127
184127
194127
204127
214127
224228
234228
244228
254228
264328
274328
284329
294329
304329
314429

How May really feels in Al Madīnah

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
21 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.

Al Madīnah weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 324.810.27.2
Feb22° / 11°20310.98.2
Mar27° / 15°21311.87.8
Apr34° / 20°122.512.74.0
May40° / 26°40.913.50.5
Jun45° / 31°00.1140.0
Jul47° / 32°0013.80.0
Aug47° / 32°0013.10.0
Sep43° / 28°00.112.20.0
Oct36° / 22°80.911.22.5
Nov27° / 15°323.510.47.6
Dec20° / 10°294.4107.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27525
37624
47624
57624
67723
77723
87822
97921
107921
118020
128119
138218
148218
158317
168416
178515
188515
198614
208614
218812
228812
238812
248911
258911
269010
27919
28919
29928
30937
31946

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Al Madīnah gets around 4 mm of rain over 0.9 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 3% and peaks near 8% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
18
27
37
47
57
66
76
85
95
104
114
123
133
142
152
162
172
181
191
201
211
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
187931
288831
388831
488831
588831
689731
789731
889731
990721
1091621
1191621
1292620
1393520
1493520
1593520
1695410
1795410
1895410
1996310
2096310
2197300
2298200
2398200
2498200
2598200
2699100
2799100
2899100
2999100
3099100
3199100

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:12 AM to 4:53 AM, and sunset from 6:24 PM to 6:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:126:24
213.25:116:25
313.25:116:25
413.35:106:26
513.35:096:27
613.35:086:27
713.35:076:28
813.45:066:29
913.45:056:29
1013.45:056:30
1113.45:046:31
1213.55:036:31
1313.55:026:32
1413.55:026:33
1513.55:016:33
1613.65:006:34
1713.65:006:35
1813.64:596:35
1913.64:586:36
2013.64:586:37
2113.74:576:37
2213.74:576:38
2313.74:566:39
2413.74:566:39
2513.74:556:40
2613.84:556:41
2713.84:546:41
2813.84:546:42
2913.84:546:42
3013.84:536:43
3113.84:536:44

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.39 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.18 kWh/m² to a high of 7.81 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.39 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.0Intense
27.0Intense
37.0Intense
47.1Intense
57.1Intense
67.1Intense
77.1Intense
87.2Intense
97.2Intense
107.2Intense
117.3Intense
127.3Intense
137.3Intense
147.4Intense
157.4Intense
167.4Intense
177.5Intense
187.5Intense
197.5Intense
207.5Intense
217.5Intense
227.6Intense
237.6Intense
247.6Intense
257.6Intense
267.6Intense
277.7Intense
287.7Intense
297.7Intense
307.7Intense
317.7Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Al Madīnah

In seasonPeak

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

Al Madīnah sees seasonal dust haze (February–August), heaviest in May.

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

Is May a good time to visit Al Madīnah?

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

0.5
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
2.9
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Al Madīnah.

What to pack for Al Madīnah in May

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

In May, Al Madīnah sees daytime highs around 40°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Al Madīnah in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Al Madīnah peaks around June 22 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Al Madīnah 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 Al Madīnah is worst in April — around 78 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyApr 1178 µg/m³Jul 1156 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan74Unhealthy
Feb69Unhealthy
Mar77Unhealthy
Apr78Unhealthy
May73Unhealthy
Jun56Unhealthy
Jul56Unhealthy
Aug59Unhealthy
Sep62Unhealthy
Oct70Unhealthy
Nov67Unhealthy
Dec74Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Al Madīnah?

Al Madīnah sits at 31.0°N, 47.3°E, 6 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Al Qurnah, 17 km away.

Qal‘at ŞāliḩAl HārithahBasrahAl Başrah al QadīmahAz ZubayrAbū al-Kahṣīb

Topography around Al Madīnah

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Al Madīnah has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 11 m around an average of 2 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 11 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m.

The land around Al Madīnah is covered by cropland (43%), artificial surfaces (22%) and bare terrain (21%) within 3 km, cropland (34%) and bare terrain (32%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (51%) and cropland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
11 m
16 km
11 m
80 km
83 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Al Qurnah 17 km · Nāḩiyat al Fuhūd 52 km · Qal‘at Şāliḩ 63 km · Al Hārithah 63 km · Basrah 70 km · Al Başrah al Qadīmah 73 km · Az Zubayr 76 km · Abū al-Kahṣīb 82 km

Iraq travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,410
2025
Happiness
5.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
60%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
9.5
per 100k, 2013
Road deaths
27.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 406
Religion
Christian 1%

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 Al Madīnah (30.9632°, 47.27°, elevation 6 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).