Zahle weather in May

In May, Zahle sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 19 mm of rain across 4.5 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Zahle's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zahle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
6th warmest
Overnight low
11°
7th coldest
Rainfall
19 mm
4.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
4:40 AM – 6:25 PM
Cloud cover
25%
5th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
7.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.4
out of 10

Zahle is capital and largest city of Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon.

Air quality
High
PM2.5 33 µg/m³ · 2014

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 25°C by the end.

A typical May day in Zahle reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1218
2219
3219
4219
5219
6219
7229
8229
92210
102210
112210
122210
132310
142310
152310
162311
172311
182411
192411
202411
212411
222411
232411
242512
252512
262512
272512
282512
292512
302512
312612

How May really feels in Zahle

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.

Zahle weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -1°85124101.6
Feb10° / 7910.83.910.72.2
Mar13° / 649.91.611.74.0
Apr18° / 336.50.212.86.6
May23° / 11°194.5013.78.4
Jun28° / 14°20.5014.28.5
Jul30° / 17°00.10146.8
Aug31° / 17°10.2013.36.5
Sep28° / 15°31012.28.1
Oct23° / 11°184.3011.18.2
Nov16° / 426.60.310.25.9
Dec11° / 6691.69.82.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 12%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17921
28020
38020
48218
58218
68218
78416
88416
98416
108515
118614
128614
138614
148812
158812
168812
178812
188911
199010
209010
219010
229010
239010
24928
25928
26928
27928
28937
29946
30946
31946

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Zahle gets around 19 mm of rain over 4.5 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 14% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
218
318
419
519
619
719
819
919
1019
1118
1218
1317
1417
1516
1615
1714
1813
1912
2011
2111
2210
239
249
258
268
278
287
297
306
316

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 (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

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 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:54 AM to 4:32 AM, and sunset from 6:14 PM to 6:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.34:546:14
213.44:536:14
313.44:526:15
413.44:516:16
513.54:506:17
613.54:496:17
713.54:486:18
813.54:476:19
913.64:466:20
1013.64:456:21
1113.64:446:21
1213.64:436:22
1313.74:426:23
1413.74:426:24
1513.74:416:24
1613.84:406:25
1713.84:396:26
1813.84:396:27
1913.84:386:27
2013.84:376:28
2113.94:376:29
2213.94:366:30
2313.94:366:30
2413.94:356:31
2514.04:346:32
2614.04:346:32
2714.04:336:33
2814.04:336:34
2914.04:336:34
3014.04:326:35
3114.14:326:36

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.67 kWh/m² to a high of 8.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.46 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.0Intense
27.0Intense
37.0Intense
47.1Intense
57.1Intense
67.1Intense
77.2Intense
87.2Intense
97.2Intense
107.2Intense
117.3Intense
127.3Intense
137.3Intense
147.4Intense
157.4Intense
167.5Intense
177.5Intense
187.5Intense
197.6Intense
207.6Intense
217.7Intense
227.7Intense
237.7Intense
247.8Intense
257.8Intense
267.8Intense
277.9Intense
287.9Intense
297.9Intense
307.9Intense
318.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Zahle?

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

8.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Zahle for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Zahle in May

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

In May, Zahle sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 11°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 5 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Zahle in May

The nearest coast averages about 21°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 40 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 3 to Dec 23 — about 7.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr19Cool
May21Refreshing
Jun25Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug28Tropical
Sep28Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov23Refreshing
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Zahle 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 Zahle peaks around June 20 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 12Jan 11UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7Very high
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct7High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Zahle 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 Zahle is worst in November — around 41 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.9× the cleanest month (July, 22 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Zahle's WHO annual average of 33 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorNov 2241 µg/m³Jul 2222 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan36Poor
Feb40Poor
Mar36Poor
Apr38Poor
May31Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct36Poor
Nov41Poor
Dec40Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Zahle?

Zahle sits at 33.8°N, 35.9°E, 963 m above sea level, in Lebanon. The nearest listed city is Chmistâr, 17 km away.

ChmistârAz ZabadānīAleyJouniehBaalbekBeirutByblosRa’s Bayrūt

Topography around Zahle

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zahle has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 545 m around an average of 1,062 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,938 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,079 m.

The land around Zahle is covered by grassland (43%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 3 km, grassland (51%) within 16 km, and grassland (38%) and water (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
545 m
16 km
1,938 m
80 km
3,079 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Chmistâr 17 km · Az Zabadānī 23 km · Aley 28 km · Jounieh 30 km · Baalbek 34 km · Beirut 37 km · Byblos 38 km · Ra’s Bayrūt 39 km

Lebanon travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type A / B / C / D / G
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2024
GDP per capita
$4,473
2024
Happiness
3.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
48%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.2
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
16.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 477
Religion
Muslim 68%Christian 32%Druze 5%

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 Zahle (33.8468°, 35.902°, elevation 963 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. 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).