Qal‘at Sukkar weather in May

In May, Qal‘at Sukkar 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 13.6 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 42°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% 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 Qal‘at Sukkar's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Qal‘at Sukkar'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
5:03 AM – 6:41 PM
Cloud cover
26%
6th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
7.43 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.7
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 42°C by the end.

A typical May day in Qal‘at Sukkar 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 35°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)
13623
23723
33724
43724
53724
63724
73824
83824
93825
103825
113925
123925
133925
143926
153926
164026
174026
184026
194026
204127
214127
224127
234127
244127
254228
264228
274228
284228
294228
304328
314328

How May really feels in Qal‘at Sukkar

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
18 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.

Qal‘at Sukkar 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
Jan18° / 264.210.27.2
Feb21° / 10°16310.88.1
Mar27° / 14°183.111.87.9
Apr33° / 20°152.712.84.3
May40° / 26°40.913.60.7
Jun44° / 30°00140.0
Jul46° / 32°0013.90.0
Aug46° / 32°0013.20.0
Sep43° / 28°0012.20.0
Oct36° / 22°5111.22.6
Nov26° / 15°263.210.47.8
Dec20° / 10°243.8107.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% 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 16%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27624
37624
47624
57624
67723
77723
87822
97822
108020
118119
128119
138218
148416
158416
168515
178614
188713
198713
208812
218812
228812
238911
248911
258911
269010
279010
28919
29919
30928
31928

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Qal‘at Sukkar 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
28
38
48
57
67
76
86
95
105
114
124
133
143
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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
191621
291612
391612
492512
592512
692512
793412
893412
993412
1094411
1195311
1295311
1395311
1495311
1595311
1697210
1797210
1897210
1997210
2098110
2198110
2299100
2399100
2499100
2599100
2699100
2799100
2899100
2999100
3099100
31100000

Wind in May

Winds average 17 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light 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 5:16 AM to 4:56 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:166:30
213.35:156:31
313.35:146:31
413.35:136:32
513.35:126:33
613.45:116:33
713.45:106:34
813.45:096:35
913.55:096:36
1013.55:086:36
1113.55:076:37
1213.55:066:38
1313.65:056:38
1413.65:056:39
1513.65:046:40
1613.65:036:41
1713.65:036:41
1813.75:026:42
1913.75:016:43
2013.75:016:43
2113.75:006:44
2213.85:006:45
2313.84:596:45
2413.84:596:46
2513.84:586:47
2613.84:586:47
2713.84:576:48
2813.94:576:49
2913.94:566:49
3013.94:566:50
3113.94:566:50

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.43 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.11 kWh/m² to a high of 7.84 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.43 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.0Intense
27.1Intense
37.1Intense
47.1Intense
57.1Intense
67.2Intense
77.2Intense
87.2Intense
97.3Intense
107.3Intense
117.3Intense
127.3Intense
137.4Intense
147.4Intense
157.4Intense
167.5Intense
177.5Intense
187.5Intense
197.5Intense
207.6Intense
217.6Intense
227.6Intense
237.6Intense
247.7Intense
257.7Intense
267.7Intense
277.7Intense
287.7Intense
297.7Intense
307.7Intense
317.7Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Qal‘at Sukkar

In seasonPeak

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

Qal‘at Sukkar sees seasonal dust haze (February–October), heaviest in May.

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

Is May a good time to visit Qal‘at Sukkar?

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

0.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
3.4
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Qal‘at Sukkar.

What to pack for Qal‘at Sukkar in May

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

In May, Qal‘at Sukkar sees daytime highs around 40°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Qal‘at Sukkar 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 Qal‘at Sukkar peaks around June 15 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJun 15UV 10Jan 10UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Qal‘at Sukkar 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 Qal‘at Sukkar is worst in May — around 74 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyMay 1673 µg/m³Nov 1753 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan58Unhealthy
Feb59Unhealthy
Mar70Unhealthy
Apr71Unhealthy
May74Unhealthy
Jun70Unhealthy
Jul68Unhealthy
Aug66Unhealthy
Sep63Unhealthy
Oct60Unhealthy
Nov52Poor
Dec58Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Qal‘at Sukkar?

Qal‘at Sukkar sits at 31.9°N, 46.1°E, 15 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Al Ḩayy, 35 km away.

Al-Kut‘Afak‘Alī al GharbīAr RumaythahNasiriyahAs Samawah

Topography around Qal‘at Sukkar

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Qal‘at Sukkar.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Qal‘at Sukkar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 12 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 15 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 25 m.

The land around Qal‘at Sukkar is covered by bare terrain (38%) and cropland (34%) within 3 km, cropland (58%) and bare terrain (34%) within 16 km, and cropland (53%) and bare terrain (41%) within 80 km.

3 km
12 m
16 km
15 m
80 km
25 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Al Ḩayy 35 km · Ash Shaţrah 51 km · Al-Kut 76 km · ‘Afak 81 km · ‘Alī al Gharbī 88 km · Ar Rumaythah 90 km · Nasiriyah 91 km · As Samawah 94 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 Qal‘at Sukkar (31.8632°, 46.0732°, elevation 15 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).