Qacha’s Nek weather in May

In May, Qacha’s Nek sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 20 mm of precipitation across 4 wet days and about 10.5 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 48 min at the start of May to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Qacha’s Nek's 4th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Qacha’s Nek's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 17°; 9th warmest
Overnight low: 2°; 4th coldest
Precipitation: 20 mm; 4 wet days
Daylight: 10 h 30 min; 6:47 AM – 5:16 PM
Cloud cover: 29%; 4th clearest
Wind: 8 km/h; 7th windiest
Solar energy: 4 kWh/m²
Travel score: 6.8; out of 10

Qacha’s Nek is mountain pass in Qacha's Nek District, Lesotho.

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

← April Qacha’s Nek year-round climate June →Best places to visit in May

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Qacha’s Nek reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 15°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16
Avg low (°C)	4	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	18	4
2	18	4
3	18	3
4	18	3
5	18	3
6	18	3
7	18	3
8	18	3
9	18	3
10	18	3
11	18	2
12	17	2
13	17	2
14	17	2
15	17	2
16	17	2
17	17	2
18	17	2
19	17	1
20	17	1
21	17	1
22	17	1
23	17	1
24	16	1
25	16	1
26	16	0
27	16	0
28	16	0
29	16	0
30	16	0
31	16	0

How May really feels in Qacha’s Nek

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 20 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Qacha’s Nek weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	24° / 12°	156	18.6	0	13.7	5.8
Feb	23° / 11°	134	15.4	0	13.1	5.9
Mar	22° / 9°	100	14.1	0.1	12.2	6.3
Apr	19° / 6°	46	7.5	0.2	11.3	6.8
May	17° / 2°	20	4	0.5	10.5	6.8
Jun	15° / -2°	14	2.3	0.9	10.1	5.7
Jul	14° / -2°	14	2.2	1.1	10.3	5.5
Aug	16° / 0°	25	4.1	1.2	10.9	6.5
Sep	20° / 5°	30	5.7	0.6	11.8	7.4
Oct	21° / 7°	85	12.8	0.5	12.7	6.4
Nov	22° / 9°	111	15.3	0.5	13.5	5.9
Dec	23° / 11°	143	18.4	0	13.9	5.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 19%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	78	78	78	78	78	79	79	79	79	79	80	80	80	80	80	81	81	81	81	81	82	82	83	83	83	84	84	84	84	85	86
Cloudier (%)	22	22	22	22	22	21	21	21	21	21	20	20	20	20	20	19	19	19	19	19	18	18	17	17	17	16	16	16	16	15	14

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	78	22
2	78	22
3	78	22
4	78	22
5	78	22
6	79	21
7	79	21
8	79	21
9	79	21
10	79	21
11	80	20
12	80	20
13	80	20
14	80	20
15	80	20
16	81	19
17	81	19
18	81	19
19	81	19
20	81	19
21	82	18
22	82	18
23	83	17
24	83	17
25	83	17
26	84	16
27	84	16
28	84	16
29	84	16
30	85	15
31	86	14

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Qacha’s Nek gets around 20 mm of rain and snow over 4 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 13% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	18	17	17	17	17	17	16	16	16	16	15	15	14	14	13	13	12	12	12	11	11	10	10	9	9	9	8	8	8	8	8
Snow chance (%)	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	18	0
2	17	0
3	17	0
4	17	0
5	17	0
6	17	1
7	16	1
8	16	1
9	16	1
10	16	1
11	15	1
12	15	1
13	14	1
14	14	1
15	13	2
16	13	2
17	12	2
18	12	2
19	12	2
20	11	2
21	11	2
22	10	2
23	10	3
24	9	3
25	9	3
26	9	3
27	8	3
28	8	3
29	8	3
30	8	3
31	8	3

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.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	9	9	9	9	9	9	9
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	8	calm
2	8	calm
3	8	calm
4	8	calm
5	8	calm
6	8	calm
7	8	calm
8	8	calm
9	8	calm
10	8	calm
11	8	calm
12	8	calm
13	8	calm
14	8	calm
15	8	calm
16	8	calm
17	8	calm
18	8	calm
19	8	calm
20	8	calm
21	8	calm
22	8	calm
23	8	calm
24	8	calm
25	9	calm
26	9	calm
27	9	calm
28	9	calm
29	9	calm
30	9	calm
31	9	calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min at the start of May to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:37 AM to 6:56 AM, and sunset from 5:28 PM to 5:09 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	10.8	10.8	10.8	10.8	10.7	10.7	10.7	10.7	10.6	10.6	10.6	10.6	10.6	10.5	10.5	10.5	10.5	10.4	10.4	10.4	10.4	10.4	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.2	10.2	10.2
Sunrise (AM)	6:37	6:38	6:38	6:39	6:40	6:40	6:41	6:42	6:42	6:43	6:44	6:44	6:45	6:46	6:46	6:47	6:47	6:48	6:49	6:49	6:50	6:51	6:51	6:52	6:53	6:53	6:54	6:54	6:55	6:55	6:56
Sunset (PM)	5:28	5:27	5:26	5:25	5:24	5:24	5:23	5:22	5:21	5:20	5:20	5:19	5:18	5:17	5:17	5:16	5:16	5:15	5:14	5:14	5:13	5:13	5:12	5:12	5:11	5:11	5:11	5:10	5:10	5:10	5:09

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	10.8	6:37	5:28
2	10.8	6:38	5:27
3	10.8	6:38	5:26
4	10.8	6:39	5:25
5	10.7	6:40	5:24
6	10.7	6:40	5:24
7	10.7	6:41	5:23
8	10.7	6:42	5:22
9	10.6	6:42	5:21
10	10.6	6:43	5:20
11	10.6	6:44	5:20
12	10.6	6:44	5:19
13	10.6	6:45	5:18
14	10.5	6:46	5:17
15	10.5	6:46	5:17
16	10.5	6:47	5:16
17	10.5	6:47	5:16
18	10.4	6:48	5:15
19	10.4	6:49	5:14
20	10.4	6:49	5:14
21	10.4	6:50	5:13
22	10.4	6:51	5:13
23	10.3	6:51	5:12
24	10.3	6:52	5:12
25	10.3	6:53	5:11
26	10.3	6:53	5:11
27	10.3	6:54	5:11
28	10.3	6:54	5:10
29	10.2	6:55	5:10
30	10.2	6:55	5:10
31	10.2	6:56	5:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.61 kWh/m² to a high of 7.14 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.2	4.2	4.2	4.2	4.1	4.1	4.1	4.1	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.8	3.8	3.8	3.8	3.8	3.8	3.7
Level	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	4.3	Bright
2	4.3	Bright
3	4.3	Bright
4	4.3	Bright
5	4.2	Bright
6	4.2	Bright
7	4.2	Bright
8	4.2	Bright
9	4.1	Bright
10	4.1	Bright
11	4.1	Bright
12	4.1	Bright
13	4.0	Bright
14	4.0	Bright
15	4.0	Bright
16	4.0	Moderate
17	4.0	Moderate
18	4.0	Moderate
19	3.9	Moderate
20	3.9	Moderate
21	3.9	Moderate
22	3.9	Moderate
23	3.9	Moderate
24	3.9	Moderate
25	3.8	Moderate
26	3.8	Moderate
27	3.8	Moderate
28	3.8	Moderate
29	3.8	Moderate
30	3.8	Moderate
31	3.7	Moderate

Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Qacha’s Nek

In seasonPeak

None of Qacha’s Nek's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Qacha’s Nek's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Is May a good time to visit Qacha’s Nek?

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

6.8

Sightseeing

2nd-best month of the year

1.6

Beach & pool

9th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Qacha’s Nek for sightseeing.

What to pack for Qacha’s Nek in May

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

In May, Qacha’s Nek sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 2°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Qacha’s Nek in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Qacha’s Nek peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 4 (moderate).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	15	14	12	8	6	4	5	7	8	12	13	14
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Very high	High	Moderate	Moderate	High	Very high	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	15	Extreme
Feb	14	Extreme
Mar	12	Extreme
Apr	8	Very high
May	6	High
Jun	4	Moderate
Jul	5	Moderate
Aug	7	High
Sep	8	Very high
Oct	12	Extreme
Nov	13	Extreme
Dec	14	Extreme

Location & terrain

Where is Qacha’s Nek?

Qacha’s Nek sits at 30.1°S, 28.7°E, 1,974 m above sea level, in Lesotho. The nearest listed city is Thaba-Tseka, 66 km away.

Topography around Qacha’s Nek

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Qacha’s Nek.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Qacha’s Nek has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 559 m around an average of 1,983 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,290 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,517 m.

The land around Qacha’s Nek is covered by grassland (72%) within 3 km, grassland (80%) within 16 km, and grassland (87%) within 80 km.

3 km

559 m

grassland 72%

16 km

1,290 m

grassland 80%

80 km

2,517 m

grassland 87%

treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces

← April Qacha’s Nek year-round climate June →Best places to visit in May

May weather nearby: Thaba-Tseka 66 km · Tlokoeng 67 km · Kokstad 85 km · Quthing 100 km · Mohale's Hoek 117 km · Clydesdale 122 km · Ugie 128 km · Teyateyaneng 141 km

Lesotho travel facts

Travel advisory: Level 2; Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs: Type M; 220 V · 50 Hz
Prices: ≈ 34% of US; price level, 2025
GDP per capita: $1,089; 2025
Happiness: 4.4 / 10; World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water: 31%; of population, 2024
Homicide rate: 38.2; per 100k, 2008
Road deaths: 31.9; per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group: Lower middle; World Bank
Religion

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 Qacha’s Nek (-30.1154°, 28.6894°, elevation 1,974 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	18	4
2	18	4
3	18	3
4	18	3
5	18	3
6	18	3
7	18	3
8	18	3
9	18	3
10	18	3
11	18	2
12	17	2
13	17	2
14	17	2
15	17	2
16	17	2
17	17	2
18	17	2
19	17	1
20	17	1
21	17	1
22	17	1
23	17	1
24	16	1
25	16	1
26	16	0
27	16	0
28	16	0
29	16	0
30	16	0
31	16	0

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	78	22
2	78	22
3	78	22
4	78	22
5	78	22
6	79	21
7	79	21
8	79	21
9	79	21
10	79	21
11	80	20
12	80	20
13	80	20
14	80	20
15	80	20
16	81	19
17	81	19
18	81	19
19	81	19
20	81	19
21	82	18
22	82	18
23	83	17
24	83	17
25	83	17
26	84	16
27	84	16
28	84	16
29	84	16
30	85	15
31	86	14

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	18	0
2	17	0
3	17	0
4	17	0
5	17	0
6	17	1
7	16	1
8	16	1
9	16	1
10	16	1
11	15	1
12	15	1
13	14	1
14	14	1
15	13	2
16	13	2
17	12	2
18	12	2
19	12	2
20	11	2
21	11	2
22	10	2
23	10	3
24	9	3
25	9	3
26	9	3
27	8	3
28	8	3
29	8	3
30	8	3
31	8	3

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	18	4
2	18	4
3	18	3
4	18	3
5	18	3
6	18	3
7	18	3
8	18	3
9	18	3
10	18	3
11	18	2
12	17	2
13	17	2
14	17	2
15	17	2
16	17	2
17	17	2
18	17	2
19	17	1
20	17	1
21	17	1
22	17	1
23	17	1
24	16	1
25	16	1
26	16	0
27	16	0
28	16	0
29	16	0
30	16	0
31	16	0

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	78	22
2	78	22
3	78	22
4	78	22
5	78	22
6	79	21
7	79	21
8	79	21
9	79	21
10	79	21
11	80	20
12	80	20
13	80	20
14	80	20
15	80	20
16	81	19
17	81	19
18	81	19
19	81	19
20	81	19
21	82	18
22	82	18
23	83	17
24	83	17
25	83	17
26	84	16
27	84	16
28	84	16
29	84	16
30	85	15
31	86	14

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	18	0
2	17	0
3	17	0
4	17	0
5	17	0
6	17	1
7	16	1
8	16	1
9	16	1
10	16	1
11	15	1
12	15	1
13	14	1
14	14	1
15	13	2
16	13	2
17	12	2
18	12	2
19	12	2
20	11	2
21	11	2
22	10	2
23	10	3
24	9	3
25	9	3
26	9	3
27	8	3
28	8	3
29	8	3
30	8	3
31	8	3

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	18	4
2	18	4
3	18	3
4	18	3
5	18	3
6	18	3
7	18	3
8	18	3
9	18	3
10	18	3
11	18	2
12	17	2
13	17	2
14	17	2
15	17	2
16	17	2
17	17	2
18	17	2
19	17	1
20	17	1
21	17	1
22	17	1
23	17	1
24	16	1
25	16	1
26	16	0
27	16	0
28	16	0
29	16	0
30	16	0
31	16	0

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	78	22
2	78	22
3	78	22
4	78	22
5	78	22
6	79	21
7	79	21
8	79	21
9	79	21
10	79	21
11	80	20
12	80	20
13	80	20
14	80	20
15	80	20
16	81	19
17	81	19
18	81	19
19	81	19
20	81	19
21	82	18
22	82	18
23	83	17
24	83	17
25	83	17
26	84	16
27	84	16
28	84	16
29	84	16
30	85	15
31	86	14

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	18	0
2	17	0
3	17	0
4	17	0
5	17	0
6	17	1
7	16	1
8	16	1
9	16	1
10	16	1
11	15	1
12	15	1
13	14	1
14	14	1
15	13	2
16	13	2
17	12	2
18	12	2
19	12	2
20	11	2
21	11	2
22	10	2
23	10	3
24	9	3
25	9	3
26	9	3
27	8	3
28	8	3
29	8	3
30	8	3
31	8	3

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100