Najaf weather in May

In May, Najaf sees average daytime highs of 38°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 3 mm of rain across 0.4 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 35°C in the first days to 41°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 77% 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 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Najaf's 6th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Najaf's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
5th warmest
Overnight low
24°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
0.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:10 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
23%
6th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
7.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.4
out of 10

Najaf is city in central-south Iraq.

Founded
~791 CE

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 35°C in the first days to 41°C by the end.

A typical May day in Najaf reaches about 38°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 33°C and 42°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13521
23521
33521
43521
53622
63622
73622
83622
93722
103723
113723
123723
133723
143823
153823
163824
173824
183824
193924
203924
213924
223925
233925
244025
254025
264025
274025
284026
294126
304126
314126

How May really feels in Najaf

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
11 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.

Najaf 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
Jan17° / 193.610.16.7
Feb20° / 132.510.87.9
Mar25° / 13°112.211.88.5
Apr32° / 18°102.212.85.3
May38° / 24°30.413.61.4
Jun42° / 28°0014.10.0
Jul45° / 30°0013.90.0
Aug45° / 29°0013.20.0
Sep41° / 26°00.112.20.2
Oct35° / 20°30.811.23.6
Nov25° / 13°162.310.48.3
Dec19° / 152.89.97.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 77% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 13%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18020
28020
38020
48020
58020
68020
78119
88119
98218
108317
118317
128515
138614
148614
158713
168812
178911
189010
19919
20919
21919
22919
23928
24928
25937
26937
27946
28946
29946
30946
31955

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Najaf gets around 3 mm of rain over 0.4 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 2% and peaks near 5% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
15
25
34
44
53
63
73
82
92
102
112
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19343
29343
39343
49343
59343
69343
79343
89532
99532
109532
119532
129532
139631
149631
159631
169631
179730
189730
199730
209730
219820
229820
239820
249820
259820
269910
279910
289910
299910
309910
319910

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 15 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
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:23 AM to 5:02 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 6:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:236:37
213.35:226:38
313.35:216:39
413.35:206:39
513.45:196:40
613.45:186:41
713.45:176:41
813.45:166:42
913.55:156:43
1013.55:146:44
1113.55:146:44
1213.55:136:45
1313.65:126:46
1413.65:116:46
1513.65:116:47
1613.65:106:48
1713.75:096:49
1813.75:096:49
1913.75:086:50
2013.75:076:51
2113.75:076:51
2213.85:066:52
2313.85:066:53
2413.85:056:53
2513.85:056:54
2613.85:046:55
2713.95:046:55
2813.95:036:56
2913.95:036:56
3013.95:036:57
3113.95:026:58

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.17 kWh/m² to a high of 7.88 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.52 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.2Intense
27.2Intense
37.2Intense
47.2Intense
57.3Intense
67.3Intense
77.3Intense
87.3Intense
97.4Intense
107.4Intense
117.4Intense
127.5Intense
137.5Intense
147.5Intense
157.5Intense
167.6Intense
177.6Intense
187.6Intense
197.6Intense
207.7Intense
217.7Intense
227.7Intense
237.7Intense
247.7Intense
257.7Intense
267.7Intense
277.8Intense
287.8Intense
297.8Intense
307.8Intense
317.8Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Najaf

In seasonPeak

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

Najaf sees seasonal dust haze (March–October), heaviest in May.

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

Is May a good time to visit Najaf?

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

1.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Najaf.

What to pack for Najaf in May

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

In May, Najaf sees daytime highs around 38°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Najaf 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 Najaf peaks around June 15 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 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 15UV 10Jan 12UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep4Moderate
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Najaf 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 Najaf is worst in May — around 77 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyMay 1376 µg/m³Jul 2260 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan68Unhealthy
Feb68Unhealthy
Mar73Unhealthy
Apr72Unhealthy
May77Unhealthy
Jun64Unhealthy
Jul60Unhealthy
Aug61Unhealthy
Sep65Unhealthy
Oct70Unhealthy
Nov63Unhealthy
Dec70Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Najaf?

Najaf sits at 32.0°N, 44.3°E, 41 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Kufa, 9.0 km away.

Al DiwaniyahNāḩiyat ash Shināfīyah

Topography around Najaf

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Najaf has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 32 m around an average of 42 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 73 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 232 m.

The land around Najaf is covered by artificial surfaces (84%) within 3 km, bare terrain (35%) and cropland (27%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (58%) and cropland (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
32 m
16 km
73 m
80 km
232 m
treesshrubscroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Kufa 9.0 km · Ash Shāmīyah 25 km · Al Mishkhāb 28 km · Nahiyat Ghammas 41 km · Al-Qāsim 44 km · Al Hillah 49 km · Al Diwaniyah 55 km · Nāḩiyat ash Shināfīyah 57 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 Najaf (32.0259°, 44.3462°, elevation 41 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).