Sirte weather in May

In May, Sirte sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 3 mm of rain across 0.5 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sirte's 5th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sirte's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
6th warmest
Overnight low
19°
7th coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
0.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
6:02 AM – 7:37 PM
Cloud cover
29%
5th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
7.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
9.1
out of 10

Sirte is coastal city in Libya.

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 23°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical May day in Sirte reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12218
22218
32318
42318
52318
62318
72318
82318
92318
102318
112318
122319
132319
142419
152419
162419
172419
182419
192419
202419
212419
222419
232419
242420
252420
262420
272420
282420
292520
302520
312520

Sirte weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan17° / 13°356.610.26.2
Feb17° / 13°224.610.96.7
Mar19° / 14°132.411.87.7
Apr21° / 16°41.112.78.4
May24° / 19°30.513.69.1
Jun26° / 22°10.1149.1
Jul28° / 24°0013.88.6
Aug29° / 25°00.113.17.7
Sep29° / 24°40.812.27.8
Oct26° / 22°142.611.28.3
Nov22° / 18°163.410.48.1
Dec18° / 14°306106.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% 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 21%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17921
28020
38020
48020
58020
68020
78020
88020
98020
108020
118020
127921
137822
147822
157723
167723
177723
187624
197624
207624
217723
227723
237723
247822
257921
267921
278020
288020
298020
308218
318317

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sirte gets around 3 mm of rain over 0.5 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 2% and peaks near 3% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
13
23
33
43
53
62
72
82
92
102
112
122
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 44% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1444970
2425080
3405190
43951100
53751120
63552130
73451150
83351160
93152170
103051190
112950210
122751220
132650240
142450260
152349271
162149291
171948311
181847331
191646362
201545382
211443403
221242433
231140454
241038474
25936495
26834526
27833527
28731548
29629569
306285610
315265811

Wind in May

Winds average 20 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
920breezy
1020light breeze
1120light breeze
1220light breeze
1320light breeze
1420light breeze
1520light breeze
1620light breeze
1720light breeze
1820light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:15 AM to 5:55 AM, and sunset from 7:27 PM to 7:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.26:157:27
213.26:147:28
313.36:137:28
413.36:127:29
513.36:117:30
613.36:107:30
713.46:097:31
813.46:087:32
913.46:087:32
1013.46:077:33
1113.56:067:34
1213.56:057:35
1313.56:057:35
1413.56:047:36
1513.66:037:37
1613.66:027:37
1713.66:027:38
1813.66:017:39
1913.66:017:39
2013.76:007:40
2113.75:597:41
2213.75:597:41
2313.75:587:42
2413.75:587:43
2513.85:577:43
2613.85:577:44
2713.85:577:44
2813.85:567:45
2913.85:567:46
3013.85:567:46
3113.95:557:47

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.09 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.96 kWh/m² to a high of 7.57 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.09 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.9Intense
26.9Intense
36.9Intense
47.0Intense
57.0Intense
67.0Intense
77.0Intense
87.0Intense
97.0Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
127.0Intense
137.0Intense
147.1Intense
157.1Intense
167.1Intense
177.1Intense
187.1Intense
197.1Intense
207.1Intense
217.1Intense
227.1Intense
237.2Intense
247.2Intense
257.2Intense
267.2Intense
277.2Intense
287.2Intense
297.2Intense
307.3Intense
317.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Sirte

In seasonPeak

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

Sirte sees seasonal dust haze (March–June), heaviest in April.

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

Is May a good time to visit Sirte?

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

9.1
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Sirte in May

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

In May, Sirte sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 19°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Sirte in May

The nearest coast averages about 20°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 19 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in March near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 19 to Dec 16 — about 7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr18Cool
May20Cool
Jun23Refreshing
Jul26Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov23Refreshing
Dec20Refreshing

UV index in Sirte in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sirte peaks around August 12 at about 10 (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 highModerateAug 12UV 10Jan 11UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar7High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct7High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Sirte 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 Sirte is worst in April — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.6× the cleanest month (August, 8 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateModerateGoodModerateApr 1336 µg/m³Aug 98 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb29Moderate
Mar32Moderate
Apr37Poor
May26Moderate
Jun12Moderate
Jul8Good
Aug8Good
Sep12Good
Oct20Moderate
Nov24Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sirte?

Sirte sits at 31.2°N, 16.6°E, 17 m above sea level, in Libya. The nearest listed city is Bin Jawwād, 149 km away.

Bin JawwādMisratahZlitenHūnBani WalidAl KhumsMsalātahAl-'Alūaṣ

Topography around Sirte

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sirte has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 42 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 84 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 218 m.

The land around Sirte is covered by water (44%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 3 km, water (48%) and bare terrain (27%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (61%) and water (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
42 m
16 km
84 m
80 km
218 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Bin Jawwād 149 km · Misratah 192 km · Zliten 237 km · Hūn 240 km · Bani Walid 254 km · Al Khums 272 km · Msalātah 285 km · Al-'Alūaṣ 298 km

Libya travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F / L
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 39% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,449
2025
Happiness
5.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Road deaths
21.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 395
Religion
Muslim 97%Christian 3%

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 Sirte (31.2089°, 16.5887°, elevation 17 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).