Monrovia weather in May

In May, Monrovia sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 321 mm of rain across 29.9 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Monrovia's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Monrovia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
4th warmest
Overnight low
25°
10th coldest
Rainfall
321 mm
29.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:31 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
84%
9th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Monrovia is capital city of Liberia.

Density
7,941/km²
people per km²
Founded
1822

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 29°C through the month.

A typical May day in Monrovia reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12925
22925
32925
42925
52925
62925
72925
82925
92925
102925
112925
122925
132925
142925
152925
162925
172925
182925
192825
202825
212825
222825
232825
242825
252825
262825
272825
282825
292825
302825
312825

How May really feels in Monrovia

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.

Monrovia weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 25°8317.511.74.9
Feb29° / 25°10220.111.84.2
Mar29° / 25°16125.1123.7
Apr29° / 25°20826.312.13.3
May29° / 25°32129.912.33.0
Jun27° / 24°4922912.43.4
Jul26° / 24°41926.812.33.9
Aug26° / 24°49227.212.23.8
Sep27° / 24°53029.3123.4
Oct28° / 24°35930.411.93.4
Nov28° / 24°19227.611.73.4
Dec28° / 24°10523.111.64.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 90%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21387
31387
41288
51288
61288
71288
81288
91288
101288
111288
121288
131189
141189
151189
161189
171090
181090
191090
201090
211090
22991
23991
24991
25991
26892
27892
28892
29892
30892
31892

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Monrovia gets around 321 mm of rain over 29.9 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 96% and peaks near 98% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
193
294
394
494
594
695
795
895
995
1095
1196
1296
1396
1496
1597
1697
1797
1897
1998
2098
2198
2298
2398
2498
2598
2698
2798
2898
2998
3098
3198

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the miserable band about 83% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1496
2496
3595
4595
5595
6694
7694
8793
9793
10892
11892
12991
131090
141189
151288
161387
171486
181585
191783
201882
212080
222278
232476
242674
252872
263070
273268
283466
293763
303961
314258

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
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:34 AM to 6:31 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 6:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:346:47
212.26:346:47
312.26:336:47
412.26:336:47
512.26:336:47
612.26:336:47
712.26:326:47
812.36:326:47
912.36:326:47
1012.36:326:47
1112.36:326:47
1212.36:316:48
1312.36:316:48
1412.36:316:48
1512.36:316:48
1612.36:316:48
1712.36:316:48
1812.36:316:48
1912.36:316:48
2012.36:316:49
2112.36:306:49
2212.36:306:49
2312.36:306:49
2412.36:306:49
2512.36:306:49
2612.36:306:50
2712.36:306:50
2812.36:306:50
2912.36:306:50
3012.36:306:50
3112.36:316:51

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.89 kWh/m² to a high of 5.44 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 4.87 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Monrovia

In seasonPeak

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

Monrovia's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monrovia sees seasonal dust haze (February), heaviest in February.

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

Is May a good time to visit Monrovia?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Monrovia.

What to pack for Monrovia in May

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

In May, Monrovia sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 30 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Monrovia in May

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in May at about 29°C and coldest in August near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Tropical
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr28Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul27Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct28Warm
Nov28Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Monrovia in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Monrovia peaks around September 16 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highSep 16UV 13Dec 15UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Monrovia 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 Monrovia is worst in February — around 50 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 6.3× the cleanest month (September, 8 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateGoodModerateFeb 1249 µg/m³Sep 148 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan47Poor
Feb50Poor
Mar44Poor
Apr40Poor
May18Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug9Good
Sep8Good
Oct10Good
Nov16Moderate
Dec35Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Monrovia?

Monrovia sits at 6.3°N, 10.8°W, 32 m above sea level, in Liberia. The nearest listed city is Harbel, 49 km away.

HarbelKakataTubmanburgBuchananGbarngaKenemaSegbwemaBo

Topography around Monrovia

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Monrovia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 75 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 75 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 337 m.

The land around Monrovia is covered by water (58%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, water (65%) within 16 km, and trees (55%) and water (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
75 m
16 km
75 m
80 km
337 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
May weather nearby: Harbel 49 km · Kakata 55 km · Tubmanburg 63 km · Buchanan 95 km · Gbarnga 166 km · Kenema 181 km · Segbwema 189 km · Bo 212 km

Liberia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 0% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$915
2025
Happiness
4.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
3.1
per 100k, 2012
Road deaths
38.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
Religion
Christian 85%Muslim 12%none 3%Traditional 1%

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 Monrovia (6.3005°, -10.7969°, elevation 32 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).