Luang Namtha weather in May

In May, Luang Namtha sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 176 mm of rain across 21 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of May to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Luang Namtha's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Luang Namtha's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
22°
9th coldest
Rainfall
176 mm
21 wet days
Daylight
13 hours
5:41 AM – 6:40 PM
Cloud cover
71%
8th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Luang Namtha is city in Laos.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month.

A typical May day in Luang Namtha reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13121
23121
33121
43121
53121
63121
73121
83121
93121
103021
113021
123021
133021
143022
153022
163022
173022
183022
193022
203022
213022
223022
233022
243022
253022
263022
273022
283022
293022
303022
313022

How May really feels in Luang Namtha

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 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
31
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.

Luang Namtha weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 12°314.410.98.2
Feb27° / 13°183.411.37.8
Mar29° / 16°476.911.96.0
Apr31° / 19°10012.212.54.6
May30° / 22°17621133.6
Jun30° / 23°19524.313.23.1
Jul29° / 23°30427.713.13.1
Aug29° / 22°3252812.73.2
Sep29° / 22°19322.112.13.9
Oct28° / 20°8614.611.55.6
Nov26° / 16°426.8117.4
Dec24° / 13°284.710.88.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25842
35644
45545
55446
65248
75050
84951
94753
104555
114456
124258
134060
143961
153763
163565
173367
183268
193070
202872
212773
222575
232377
242278
252080
261981
271783
281585
291486
301387
311288

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Luang Namtha gets around 176 mm of rain over 21 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 67% and peaks near 82% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
155
256
357
458
558
659
760
860
961
1061
1162
1262
1363
1464
1565
1666
1767
1868
1969
2070
2171
2273
2374
2475
2576
2677
2778
2879
2980
3081
3182

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 57% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 91% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1118765
2117766
3116767
4115768
51147510
61137511
71137313
81127215
91117117
101116919
111106722
121106524
13196426
14196129
15186031
16175834
17175636
18165439
19165241
20155143
21154946
22144748
23144550
24134353
25034156
26033958
27023761
28023563
29013366
30013168
31013069

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of May to 13 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:49 AM to 5:37 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:496:34
212.85:486:35
312.85:486:35
412.85:476:35
512.85:466:36
612.85:466:36
712.95:456:37
812.95:456:37
912.95:446:38
1012.95:446:38
1112.95:436:38
1212.95:436:39
1313.05:426:39
1413.05:426:40
1513.05:416:40
1613.05:416:40
1713.05:406:41
1813.05:406:41
1913.05:406:42
2013.05:396:42
2113.15:396:43
2213.15:396:43
2313.15:386:43
2413.15:386:44
2513.15:386:44
2613.15:386:45
2713.15:376:45
2813.15:376:46
2913.15:376:46
3013.25:376:46
3113.25:376:47

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.36 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.73 kWh/m² to a high of 6 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 5.36 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Luang Namtha

In seasonPeak

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

Luang Namtha's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Luang Namtha?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Luang Namtha.

What to pack for Luang Namtha in May

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

In May, Luang Namtha sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Luang Namtha 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 Luang Namtha peaks around June 22 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highVery highExtremeVery highHighJun 22UV 13Dec 19UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar10Extreme
Apr9Very high
May11Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Luang Namtha 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 Luang Namtha is worst in April — around 445 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 55.0× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240270300330360390420JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery unhealthyGoodApr 14414 µg/m³Nov 98 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb30Moderate
Mar249Very unhealthy
Apr445Very unhealthy
May64Unhealthy
Jun11Good
Jul9Good
Aug9Good
Sep8Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Luang Namtha?

Luang Namtha sits at 20.9°N, 101.4°E, 0 m above sea level, in Laos. The nearest listed city is Muang Sing, 38 km away.

Muang XayMöng YawngBan HouakhouaNong KhiawLuang PrabangBan KhoanMöng La

Topography around Luang Namtha

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Luang Namtha has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 m around an average of 557 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 967 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,643 m.

The land around Luang Namtha is covered by cropland (53%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, trees (90%) within 16 km, and trees (90%) within 80 km.

3 km
92 m
16 km
967 m
80 km
1,643 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Muang Sing 38 km · Muang Xay 67 km · Möng Yawng 111 km · Ban Houakhoua 126 km · Nong Khiaw 133 km · Luang Prabang 141 km · Ban Khoan 152 km · Möng La 165 km

Laos travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / C / E / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 23% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,325
2025
Happiness
5.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
35%
of population, 2024
Road deaths
17.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 461
Religion
Buddhist 65%none 31%other/not stated 2%Christian 2%

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 Luang Namtha (20.9486°, 101.4019°, 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. 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).