Thaba-Tseka weather in May

In May, Thaba-Tseka sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 0°C, with 25 mm of precipitation across 4.8 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 15°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of May to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Thaba-Tseka's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Thaba-Tseka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
25 mm
4.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 30 min
6:46 AM – 5:18 PM
Cloud cover
30%
5th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Thaba-Tseka is city.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical May day in Thaba-Tseka reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 0°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

-10°10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1152
2152
3152
4152
5151
6151
7151
8151
9151
10151
11151
12141
13141
14140
15140
16140
17140
18140
19140
20140
2114-1
2213-1
2313-1
2413-1
2513-1
2613-1
2713-2
2813-2
2913-2
3012-2
3112-2

How May really feels in Thaba-Tseka

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

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

Thaba-Tseka 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 10°18420.10.113.75.2
Feb21° / 10°14917.1013.15.2
Mar19° / 11815.8012.25.6
Apr17° / 609.40.311.35.6
May14° / 254.80.710.54.9
Jun11° / -3°152.51.510.13.7
Jul11° / -4°142.31.510.33.5
Aug13° / -2°324.71.310.94.5
Sep17° / 3560.611.86.3
Oct18° / 10913.50.212.75.8
Nov19° / 12915.80.313.55.5
Dec20° / 16519.5013.95.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% 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 20%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27624
37624
47723
57723
67723
77723
87723
97822
107822
117822
127921
137921
147921
157921
167921
178020
188020
198020
208020
218020
228218
238218
248218
258317
268416
278416
288416
298515
308515
318614

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Thaba-Tseka gets around 25 mm of rain and snow over 4.8 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 16% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1221
2221
3211
4201
5201
6201
7191
8192
9182
10182
11172
12172
13162
14162
15152
16153
17153
18153
19143
20143
21143
22133
23133
24123
25123
26123
27113
28113
29113
30103
31103

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 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of May to 10 h 18 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 6:36 AM to 6:55 AM, and sunset from 5:29 PM to 5:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:365:29
210.96:375:28
310.86:385:27
410.86:385:26
510.86:395:26
610.86:405:25
710.76:405:24
810.76:415:23
910.76:425:22
1010.76:425:22
1110.66:435:21
1210.66:445:20
1310.66:445:19
1410.66:455:19
1510.56:455:18
1610.56:465:18
1710.56:475:17
1810.56:475:16
1910.56:485:16
2010.46:495:15
2110.46:495:15
2210.46:505:14
2310.46:505:14
2410.46:515:13
2510.46:525:13
2610.36:525:13
2710.36:535:12
2810.36:535:12
2910.36:545:11
3010.36:555:11
3110.36:555:11

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.1 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.73 kWh/m² to a high of 7.47 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 4.1 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.4Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.2Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.2Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.0Bright
204.0Bright
214.0Bright
224.0Moderate
234.0Moderate
244.0Moderate
253.9Moderate
263.9Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Thaba-Tseka

In seasonPeak

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

Thaba-Tseka's monsoon runs October–March, 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 Thaba-Tseka?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Thaba-Tseka for sightseeing.

What to pack for Thaba-Tseka in May

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

In May, Thaba-Tseka sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 0°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Thaba-Tseka 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 Thaba-Tseka peaks around January 14 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 16Jun 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct12Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Thaba-Tseka 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 Thaba-Tseka is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.7× the cleanest month (December, 4 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1715 µg/m³Dec 204 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan4Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr9Good
May12Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov5Good
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Thaba-Tseka?

Thaba-Tseka sits at 29.5°S, 28.6°E, 2,230 m above sea level, in Lesotho. The nearest listed city is Qacha’s Nek, 66 km away.

Qacha’s NekHlotseButha-ButheTeyateyanengMaputsoeFicksburgFouriesburgMabote

Topography around Thaba-Tseka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Thaba-Tseka has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 668 m around an average of 2,201 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,331 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,049 m.

The land around Thaba-Tseka is covered by grassland (66%) and cropland (23%) within 3 km, grassland (88%) within 16 km, and grassland (91%) within 80 km.

3 km
668 m
16 km
1,331 m
80 km
2,049 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Qacha’s Nek 66 km · Hlotse 91 km · Butha-Buthe 91 km · Teyateyaneng 93 km · Maputsoe 99 km · Ficksburg 101 km · Fouriesburg 108 km · Mabote 108 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
Protestant 48%Roman Catholic 39%other Christian 9%none 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 Thaba-Tseka (-29.522°, 28.6084°, elevation 2,230 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).