Minamata weather in May

In May, Minamata sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 189 mm of rain across 12.2 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Minamata's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Minamata's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
6th warmest
Overnight low
16°
8th coldest
Rainfall
189 mm
12.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:25 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
68%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Minamata is city in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.

Density
180/km²
people per km²
Founded
1949

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 22°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical May day in Minamata reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 2°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12214
22214
32214
42314
52314
62315
72315
82315
92315
102315
112315
122315
132415
142415
152416
162416
172416
182416
192416
202416
212416
222416
232416
242517
252517
262517
272517
282517
292517
302517
312517

How May really feels in Minamata

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Minamata weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan10° / 7810110.12.4
Feb12° / 9810.10.510.83.0
Mar15° / 14013.10.111.84.4
Apr20° / 11°16512012.85.8
May24° / 16°18912.2013.66.4
Jun26° / 20°48218.9014.14.9
Jul30° / 24°37019.4013.93.9
Aug31° / 24°17616.4013.23.8
Sep28° / 21°18113.5012.25.3
Oct24° / 15°1058.6011.27.2
Nov18° / 10°1038.9010.36.0
Dec13° / 878.90.49.93.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 64%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34060
43961
54060
63961
73862
83763
93763
103763
113664
123664
133664
143763
153664
163664
173664
183664
193664
203565
213466
223466
233466
243466
253466
263466
273268
283268
293268
303169
313070

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Minamata gets around 189 mm of rain over 12.2 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 39% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
339
439
539
640
740
840
940
1040
1140
1240
1339
1439
1539
1638
1738
1838
1938
2038
2138
2238
2338
2438
2539
2639
2739
2839
2940
3041
3141

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 34% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 12% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
153271460
252271470
349281570
448301570
546301681
644311681
742321781
841321791
940331891
1039331891
11383418101
12373418101
13363519101
14343619101
15333619101
16323720101
17313721101
18303722101
19283823111
20273824111
21263825111
22243826111
23233727121
24223728121
25203729131
26183631131
27173632141
28153533151
29143434162
30123336182
31113136192

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 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 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:38 AM to 5:18 AM, and sunset from 6:53 PM to 7:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:386:53
213.35:376:54
313.35:366:55
413.35:356:55
513.45:346:56
613.45:336:57
713.45:326:57
813.45:326:58
913.55:316:59
1013.55:307:00
1113.55:297:00
1213.55:287:01
1313.65:277:02
1413.65:277:03
1513.65:267:03
1613.65:257:04
1713.75:257:05
1813.75:247:05
1913.75:237:06
2013.75:237:07
2113.85:227:07
2213.85:227:08
2313.85:217:09
2413.85:217:09
2513.85:207:10
2613.95:207:11
2713.95:197:11
2813.95:197:12
2913.95:187:13
3013.95:187:13
3113.95:187:14

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.1 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.36 kWh/m² to a high of 5.1 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.1 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Minamata

In seasonPeak

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

Minamata sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Minamata's rainy season runs June–July, when most of the year's rain falls.

Pacific typhoon
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Minamata?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Minamata for sightseeing.

What to pack for Minamata in May

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

In May, Minamata sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Minamata in May

The nearest coast averages about 20°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 16 to Dec 4 — about 6.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr18Cool
May20Refreshing
Jun23Refreshing
Jul26Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct24Warm
Nov22Refreshing
Dec19Cool

UV index in Minamata 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 Minamata peaks around July 12 at about 10 (extreme) — 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 — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct7High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Minamata 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 Minamata is worst in March — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (July, 13 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2424 µg/m³Jul 2114 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr24Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov16Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Minamata?

Minamata sits at 32.2°N, 130.4°E, 2 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Sashiki, 14 km away.

Topography around Minamata

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Minamata has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 287 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 914 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,718 m.

The land around Minamata is covered by trees (41%) and water (37%) within 3 km, water (48%) and trees (46%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and water (42%) within 80 km.

3 km
287 m
16 km
914 m
80 km
1,718 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Sashiki 14 km · Izumi 15 km · Isa 26 km · Ōkuchi-shinohara 27 km · Akune 29 km · Tsuruda 31 km · Hitoyoshi 33 km · Amakusa 33 km

Japan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
100 V · 50 / 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$35,951
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 446
Religion
Shintoism 49%Buddhism 46%other 4%Christianity 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 Minamata (32.2167°, 130.4°, elevation 2 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).