Sinjār weather in May

In May, Sinjār sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 16 mm of rain across 3.5 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 35°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sinjār's 6th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sinjār's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
5th warmest
Overnight low
19°
8th coldest
Rainfall
16 mm
3.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:11 AM – 7:06 PM
Cloud cover
31%
6th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
7.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Sinjār is Yazidi town in northern Iraq.

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 28°C in the first days to 35°C by the end.

A typical May day in Sinjār reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°C warmer than April and about 6°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12716
22816
32817
42817
52817
62917
72917
82918
92918
103018
113018
123018
133119
143119
153119
163119
173219
183220
193220
203320
213320
223320
233321
243421
253421
263421
273421
283422
293522
303522
313522

How May really feels in Sinjār

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 13 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
13
heat index over the day's high
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.

Sinjār 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan11° / 528.70.59.83.0
Feb13° / 448.20.410.64.0
Mar18° / 487.5011.76.4
Apr24° / 14°325.7012.97.7
May31° / 19°163.5013.95.3
Jun38° / 24°10.4014.41.7
Jul41° / 27°00.1014.20.0
Aug40° / 27°00.1013.40.1
Sep36° / 23°10.2012.22.8
Oct29° / 18°172.9011.16.8
Nov20° / 10°345.5010.17.1
Dec13° / 487.30.39.64.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 17%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27228
37228
47327
57426
67426
77624
87624
97822
107822
118020
128020
138218
148218
158317
168416
178416
188614
198614
208614
218713
228812
238812
248812
258911
269010
279010
289010
29919
30928
31928

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sinjār gets around 16 mm of rain over 3.5 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 11% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
117
217
316
416
516
616
716
816
915
1015
1114
1214
1313
1413
1512
1612
1711
1810
199
209
218
227
236
246
255
265
274
284
293
303
313

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19370
29280
39280
49190
59190
690100
790100
890100
989101
109091
119091
129091
139091
149181
159181
169271
179271
189361
199361
209451
219541
229541
239541
249631
259631
269631
279631
289820
299820
309820
319820

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:26 AM to 5:02 AM, and sunset from 6:54 PM to 7:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:266:54
213.55:256:54
313.55:246:55
413.65:226:56
513.65:216:57
613.65:206:58
713.75:196:59
813.75:187:00
913.75:177:01
1013.85:167:01
1113.85:157:02
1213.85:147:03
1313.85:147:04
1413.95:137:05
1513.95:127:06
1613.95:117:06
1714.05:107:07
1814.05:097:08
1914.05:097:09
2014.05:087:10
2114.15:077:11
2214.15:077:11
2314.15:067:12
2414.15:057:13
2514.15:057:14
2614.25:047:14
2714.25:047:15
2814.25:037:16
2914.25:037:17
3014.35:027:17
3114.35:027:18

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.43 kWh/m² to a high of 8.07 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.4 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.9Intense
26.9Intense
37.0Intense
47.0Intense
57.0Intense
67.1Intense
77.1Intense
87.1Intense
97.2Intense
107.2Intense
117.3Intense
127.3Intense
137.3Intense
147.4Intense
157.4Intense
167.4Intense
177.5Intense
187.5Intense
197.5Intense
207.6Intense
217.6Intense
227.6Intense
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 Sinjār

In seasonPeak

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

Sinjār sees seasonal dust haze (April–May), heaviest in May.

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

Is May a good time to visit Sinjār?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
7.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sinjār for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Sinjār in May

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

In May, Sinjār sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Sinjār 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 Sinjār peaks around June 15 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 13 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highVery highHighModerateJun 15UV 10Jan 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Sinjār 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 Sinjār is worst in June — around 45 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.7× the cleanest month (November, 27 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateJun 2345 µg/m³Nov 2327 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan29Moderate
Feb32Moderate
Mar39Poor
Apr39Poor
May42Poor
Jun45Poor
Jul45Poor
Aug42Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct33Moderate
Nov27Moderate
Dec27Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sinjār?

Sinjār sits at 36.3°N, 41.9°E, 517 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Al Mālikīyah, 98 km away.

Al MālikīyahAl QāmishlīNusaybinAl ḨasakahSumaylSimeleAl Mawşil al JadīdahMosul

Topography around Sinjār

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sinjār has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 m around an average of 530 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,102 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,254 m.

The land around Sinjār is covered by grassland (36%) and cropland (29%) within 3 km, cropland (48%) and grassland (42%) within 16 km, and cropland (76%) within 80 km.

3 km
282 m
16 km
1,102 m
80 km
1,254 m
grasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Al Mālikīyah 98 km · Al Qāmishlī 100 km · Nusaybin 102 km · Al Ḩasakah 103 km · Sumayl 105 km · Simele 105 km · Al Mawşil al Jadīdah 110 km · Mosul 111 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 Sinjār (36.3209°, 41.8766°, elevation 517 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).