Yakushima weather in May

In May, Yakushima sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 210 mm of rain across 12.9 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 23°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Yakushima's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Yakushima's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
6th warmest
Overnight low
20°
7th coldest
Rainfall
210 mm
12.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:28 AM – 7:00 PM
Cloud cover
70%
11th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Yakushima is human settlement in Japan.

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 21°C in the first days to 23°C by the end.

A typical May day in Yakushima reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

15°18°20°23°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12119
22119
32119
42119
52119
62120
72220
82220
92220
102220
112220
122220
132220
142220
152220
162220
172221
182221
192221
202321
212321
222321
232321
242321
252321
262321
272321
282321
292321
302322
312322

How May really feels in Yakushima

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.

Yakushima 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan14° / 12°12213.110.33.8
Feb15° / 12°12612.710.94.0
Mar17° / 14°18214.611.84.8
Apr19° / 17°19012.712.75.7
May22° / 20°21012.913.56.1
Jun25° / 23°43819.613.95.1
Jul27° / 26°17312.613.85.9
Aug28° / 27°14114.713.15.4
Sep27° / 25°23715.812.25.7
Oct24° / 22°1701311.36.5
Nov20° / 18°1491210.56.1
Dec16° / 14°11411.810.14.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 68%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33565
43565
53565
63565
73565
83565
93565
103466
113466
123466
133268
143268
153268
163268
173268
183268
193169
203169
213169
223169
233070
243070
253070
262971
272872
282872
292773
302773
312872

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Yakushima gets around 210 mm of rain over 12.9 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 42% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
339
439
539
639
740
840
940
1040
1140
1241
1341
1441
1541
1641
1741
1841
1941
2042
2142
2242
2343
2444
2544
2645
2746
2846
2947
3048
3149

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 33% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 34% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1282824173
2262824184
3252825184
4232826195
5212827205
6192827206
7182728216
8172729216
9152729217
10142730227
11132730228
12122731228
13122732228
14112633228
15102634228
16102534238
1792435238
1882436249
1972336259
2072237259
2162137269
22520382710
23519382810
24418382910
25417383011
26316383212
27314383312
28213373513
29212363614
30110353815
3119343916

Wind in May

Winds average 23 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 23 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
124breezy
224breezy
324breezy
424breezy
524breezy
624breezy
724breezy
824breezy
924breezy
1024breezy
1124breezy
1224breezy
1324breezy
1424breezy
1524breezy
1624breezy
1724breezy
1824breezy
1924breezy
2024breezy
2123breezy
2223breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

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 5:40 AM to 5:21 AM, and sunset from 6:49 PM to 7:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:406:49
213.25:396:50
313.25:386:51
413.25:376:52
513.35:366:52
613.35:356:53
713.35:346:54
813.35:346:54
913.45:336:55
1013.45:326:56
1113.45:316:56
1213.45:316:57
1313.55:306:58
1413.55:296:58
1513.55:286:59
1613.55:287:00
1713.55:277:00
1813.65:277:01
1913.65:267:01
2013.65:257:02
2113.65:257:03
2213.75:247:03
2313.75:247:04
2413.75:237:05
2513.75:237:05
2613.75:237:06
2713.75:227:06
2813.85:227:07
2913.85:217:08
3013.85:217:08
3113.85:217:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.27 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 5.86 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.27 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Yakushima

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is May a good time to visit Yakushima?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Yakushima for sightseeing.

What to pack for Yakushima in May

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

In May, Yakushima sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 20°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Yakushima in May

The nearest coast averages about 23°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 29°C and coldest in February near 20°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Feb 25 to Feb 7 — about 11.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb20Cool
Mar20Refreshing
Apr21Refreshing
May23Refreshing
Jun25Warm
Jul28Warm
Aug29Tropical
Sep28Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov24Warm
Dec22Refreshing

UV index in Yakushima in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Yakushima peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 11Jan 10UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar7Very high
Apr9Very high
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct7High
Nov5High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Yakushima 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 Yakushima is worst in April — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (July, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodApr 1420 µg/m³Jul 2010 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar20Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul10Good
Aug11Good
Sep10Good
Oct10Good
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Yakushima?

Yakushima sits at 30.4°N, 130.6°E, 0 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Nishinoomote, 51 km away.

Topography around Yakushima

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Yakushima has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 608 m around an average of 81 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,916 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,893 m.

The land around Yakushima is covered by trees (54%) and water (44%) within 3 km, water (67%) and trees (33%) within 16 km, and water (93%) within 80 km.

3 km
608 m
16 km
1,916 m
80 km
1,893 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Nishinoomote 51 km · Ibusuki 94 km · Makurazaki 103 km · Minamikyushu 108 km · Kanoya 112 km · Minamisatsuma 117 km · Kaseda-shirakame 119 km · Tarumizu 122 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 Yakushima (30.388°, 130.6492°, elevation 0 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).