Zaysan weather in May

In May, Zaysan sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 40 mm of precipitation across 8.2 wet days and about 14.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 23°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Zaysan's 4th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zaysan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
5th warmest
Overnight low
9th coldest
Precipitation
40 mm
8.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 54 min
4:50 AM – 7:43 PM
Cloud cover
48%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Zaysan is place in East Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan.

Founded
1868

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 18°C in the first days to 23°C by the end.

A typical May day in Zaysan reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1185
2185
3185
4185
5185
6186
7196
8196
9196
10196
11197
12207
13207
14207
15207
16208
17208
18218
19218
20218
21219
22219
23219
24229
252210
262210
272210
282210
292310
302311
312311

How May really feels in Zaysan

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.

Zaysan weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-10° / -18°154.75.58.70.0
Feb-7° / -17°144.54.99.90.0
Mar / -9°266.54.911.60.2
Apr14° / 408.42.213.34.1
May20° / 408.20.514.96.8
Jun25° / 13°387.9015.77.1
Jul27° / 15°4210.2015.46.6
Aug26° / 13°367.6014.17.5
Sep20° / 357.40.412.47.0
Oct12° / 376.92.510.63.6
Nov / -8°358.16.89.10.1
Dec-7° / -16°206.16.88.30.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25743
35743
45743
55842
65941
75941
86040
96040
105941
115941
125941
135941
145842
155842
165842
175743
185743
195743
205743
215743
225644
235644
245743
255644
265743
275743
285743
295842
305842
315743

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Zaysan gets around 40 mm of rain and snow over 8.2 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 27% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1292
2282
3282
4282
5272
6262
7262
8252
9252
10252
11252
12252
13252
14262
15262
16262
17272
18272
19272
20271
21281
22281
23281
24281
25281
26271
27271
28271
29260
30260
31260

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May, the windiest month of the year.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:12 AM to 4:35 AM, and sunset from 7:23 PM to 8:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.25:127:23
214.25:117:25
314.35:097:26
414.35:077:27
514.45:067:29
614.45:047:30
714.55:037:32
814.55:017:33
914.65:007:34
1014.64:587:36
1114.74:577:37
1214.74:557:38
1314.84:547:40
1414.84:537:41
1514.84:517:42
1614.94:507:43
1714.94:497:45
1815.04:487:46
1915.04:467:47
2015.14:457:48
2115.14:447:50
2215.14:437:51
2315.24:427:52
2415.24:417:53
2515.24:407:54
2615.34:397:55
2715.34:387:57
2815.34:377:58
2915.44:377:59
3015.44:368:00
3115.44:358:01

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.54 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.79 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.54 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.6Intense
226.7Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.7Intense
266.7Intense
276.8Intense
286.8Intense
296.8Intense
306.8Intense
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Zaysan?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Zaysan for sightseeing.

What to pack for Zaysan in May

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

In May, Zaysan sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 8°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layerrain gear

UV index in Zaysan 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 Zaysan peaks around July 20 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowJul 20UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May8Very high
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Zaysan 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 Zaysan is worst in February — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodFeb 2115 µg/m³Dec 148 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb15Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May12Moderate
Jun11Good
Jul11Good
Aug9Good
Sep11Good
Oct12Good
Nov10Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Zaysan?

Zaysan sits at 47.5°N, 84.9°E, 635 m above sea level, in Kazakhstan. The nearest listed city is Maqanshy, 229 km away.

MaqanshyAltayKalbatauUst-KamenogorskRidderAyagozShemonaikha

Topography around Zaysan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zaysan has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 328 m around an average of 643 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,498 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,412 m.

The land around Zaysan is covered by grassland (77%) within 3 km, grassland (91%) within 16 km, and grassland (81%) within 80 km.

3 km
328 m
16 km
1,498 m
80 km
3,412 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Maqanshy 229 km · Altay 256 km · Kalbatau 320 km · Ust-Kamenogorsk 324 km · Ridder 335 km · Ayagoz 336 km · Ölgii 412 km · Shemonaikha 412 km

Kazakhstan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 33% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$14,692
2025
Happiness
6.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
92%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.6
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 417
Religion
Muslim 69%Christian 17%non-believers 2%Buddhism 0%

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 Zaysan (47.4666°, 84.8714°, elevation 635 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).