Monkey Bay weather in May

In May, Monkey Bay sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 5 mm of rain across 1.7 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Monkey Bay's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Monkey Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
9th warmest
Overnight low
21°
4th coldest
Rainfall
5 mm
1.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
5:56 AM – 5:17 PM
Cloud cover
25%
4th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.7
out of 10

Monkey Bay is human settlement in Malawi.

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 26°C through the month.

A typical May day in Monkey Bay reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12622
22622
32622
42622
52622
62622
72622
82622
92622
102622
112622
122622
132622
142622
152622
162621
172521
182521
192521
202521
212521
222521
232521
242521
252521
262521
272521
282521
292521
302521
312521

Monkey Bay weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 24°37727.612.73.8
Feb27° / 24°28122.412.54.2
Mar27° / 24°21822.112.14.7
Apr27° / 23°559.311.77.1
May26° / 21°51.711.48.7
Jun24° / 20°31.111.29.1
Jul23° / 19°41.511.38.8
Aug24° / 20°10.411.59.2
Sep27° / 22°10.311.98.7
Oct29° / 24°132.112.37.1
Nov29° / 25°619.212.75.6
Dec28° / 25°27324.212.84.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 8%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1937
2928
3928
4928
5928
6919
7919
8919
9919
10919
11919
12919
13919
14919
15919
16919
17919
18919
19919
20928
21928
22928
23937
24937
25937
26937
27937
28937
29937
30937
31937

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Monkey Bay gets around 5 mm of rain over 1.7 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 6% and peaks near 10% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
110
29
39
49
58
68
77
87
97
106
116
126
136
146
156
166
176
185
195
205
215
225
234
244
254
264
274
284
294
304
314

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 53% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 22% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
101048403
201149383
301250362
401351342
501452322
601553302
701654282
801754272
901855252
1001955242
1112055231
1212156211
1312256201
1412356191
1512456181
1612457171
1712556171
1812656161
1912755161
2012756160
2112855160
2212954160
2313053160
2413152160
2523251150
2623350150
2723449140
2823648130
2933747130
3033946120
3144045110

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:52 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 5:23 PM to 5:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:525:23
211.55:535:22
311.55:535:22
411.55:535:21
511.55:535:21
611.45:545:20
711.45:545:20
811.45:545:20
911.45:545:19
1011.45:545:19
1111.45:555:19
1211.45:555:18
1311.45:555:18
1411.45:565:18
1511.45:565:17
1611.35:565:17
1711.35:565:17
1811.35:575:17
1911.35:575:16
2011.35:575:16
2111.35:585:16
2211.35:585:16
2311.35:585:16
2411.35:585:15
2511.35:595:15
2611.35:595:15
2711.35:595:15
2811.36:005:15
2911.26:005:15
3011.26:005:15
3111.26:015:15

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.06 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.63 kWh/m² to a high of 6.74 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.06 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Monkey Bay

In seasonPeak

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

Monkey Bay sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Monkey Bay's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Monkey Bay?

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

8.7
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
8.1
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Monkey Bay in May

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

In May, Monkey Bay sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 21°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Monkey Bay 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 Monkey Bay peaks around January 20 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 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 highExtremeJan 20UV 15Jun 19UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Monkey Bay 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 Monkey Bay is worst in August — around 46 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.2× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodAug 2346 µg/m³Dec 219 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug46Poor
Sep45Poor
Oct28Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Monkey Bay?

Monkey Bay sits at 14.1°S, 34.9°E, 484 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Mangochi, 58 km away.

MangochiSalimaDedzaMandimbaNtcheuLichingaUlonguéBalaka

Topography around Monkey Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Monkey Bay has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 486 m around an average of 540 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 660 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,695 m.

The land around Monkey Bay is covered by water (32%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, water (65%) within 16 km, and cropland (29%), water (25%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
486 m
16 km
660 m
80 km
1,695 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Mangochi 58 km · Salima 60 km · Dedza 71 km · Mandimba 85 km · Ntcheu 87 km · Lichinga 92 km · Ulongué 93 km · Balaka 100 km

Malawi travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 53% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$672
2025
Happiness
3.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
18%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.8
per 100k, 2012
Road deaths
33.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 465
Religion
Protestant 34%other Christian 27%Roman Catholic 17%Muslim 14%

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 Monkey Bay (-14.0824°, 34.9165°, elevation 484 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).