Kara-Kul’ weather in May

In May, Kara-Kul’ sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 210 mm of precipitation across 18.9 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kara-Kul’'s 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kara-Kul’'s year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
210 mm
18.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:55 AM – 8:16 PM
Cloud cover
65%
7th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Kara-Kul’ is city in Kyrgyzstan.

Density
26/km²
people per km²

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 15°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kara-Kul’ reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1156
2156
3156
4156
5166
6167
7167
8167
9167
10167
11177
12177
13178
14178
15178
16178
17178
18178
19178
20178
21188
22189
23189
24189
25189
26189
27189
28189
29199
30199
31199

How May really feels in Kara-Kul’

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.

Kara-Kul’ weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -8°489.4119.30.0
Feb-1° / -7°6810.611.510.30.0
Mar / -2°9413.210.711.70.1
Apr11° / 15515.53.213.12.3
May17° / 21018.90.314.34.3
Jun20° / 11°19517.10155.4
Jul22° / 13°17817014.75.9
Aug22° / 13°15615013.76.3
Sep18° / 14015.1012.35.4
Oct12° / 10412.81.410.92.9
Nov / -2°78116.59.70.3
Dec-1° / -7°629.810.790.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33763
43763
53763
63763
73763
83763
93862
103862
113862
123961
133961
144060
154060
164159
174159
184159
194258
204357
214357
224357
234258
244357
254357
264357
274456
284456
294456
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Kara-Kul’ gets around 210 mm of rain and snow over 18.9 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 61% and peaks near 62% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1604
2613
3623
4623
5623
6622
7622
8622
9622
10621
11621
12621
13621
14621
15621
16620
17620
18620
19610
20610
21610
22610
23600
24600
25590
26590
27590
28580
29580
30580
31580

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 99% 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
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 3 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:13 AM to 5:44 AM, and sunset from 8:00 PM to 8:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.86:138:00
213.86:128:01
313.96:118:02
413.96:098:03
513.96:088:04
614.06:078:05
714.06:068:06
814.06:048:07
914.16:038:08
1014.16:028:09
1114.26:018:10
1214.26:008:12
1314.25:598:13
1414.35:578:14
1514.35:568:15
1614.35:558:16
1714.45:548:17
1814.45:538:18
1914.45:538:19
2014.55:528:20
2114.55:518:21
2214.55:508:22
2314.65:498:23
2414.65:488:23
2514.65:488:24
2614.65:478:25
2714.75:468:26
2814.75:468:27
2914.75:458:28
3014.75:448:29
3114.85:448:30

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.9 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.75 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.9 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kara-Kul’?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kara-Kul’ for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kara-Kul’ in May

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

In May, Kara-Kul’ sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 8°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

UV index in Kara-Kul’ in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kara-Kul’ peaks around May 20 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateMay 20UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7Very high
May11Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Kara-Kul’ 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 Kara-Kul’ is worst in May — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.6× the cleanest month (December, 4 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 1720 µg/m³Dec 215 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb7Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr18Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov7Good
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kara-Kul’?

Kara-Kul’ sits at 41.6°N, 72.7°E, 942 m above sea level, in Kyrgyzstan. The nearest listed city is Toktogul, 35 km away.

MassyBazar-KorgonKochkor-AtaUchqŭrghon ShahriPaxtaobodJalal-Abad

Topography around Kara-Kul’

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Kara-Kul’.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kara-Kul’ has very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,302 m around an average of 1,062 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,608 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,930 m.

The land around Kara-Kul’ is covered by grassland (77%) within 3 km, grassland (86%) within 16 km, and grassland (70%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,302 m
16 km
2,608 m
80 km
3,930 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Toktogul 35 km · Tash-Kumyr 49 km · Massy 63 km · Bazar-Korgon 66 km · Kochkor-Ata 68 km · Uchqŭrghon Shahri 76 km · Paxtaobod 79 km · Jalal-Abad 81 km

Kyrgyzstan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 33% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,081
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
74%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.7
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 443
Religion
Muslim 90%Christian 7%other 3%

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 Kara-Kul’ (41.6283°, 72.6703°, elevation 942 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).