Salima weather in May

In May, Salima sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 5 mm of rain across 1.2 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 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 84% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Salima's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Salima's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
9th warmest
Overnight low
21°
4th coldest
Rainfall
5 mm
1.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
5:57 AM – 5:19 PM
Cloud cover
23%
6th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.9
out of 10

Salima is human settlement in Salima District, 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 25°C through the month.

A typical May day in Salima reaches about 25°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
82621
92621
102621
112621
122521
132521
142521
152521
162521
172521
182521
192521
202521
212521
222521
232521
242521
252521
262520
272520
282520
292520
302420
312420

Salima 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°39928.712.73.6
Feb27° / 24°30723.812.54.0
Mar27° / 23°24322.912.14.6
Apr27° / 23°589.111.77.2
May25° / 21°51.211.48.9
Jun23° / 19°20.411.29.3
Jul23° / 18°20.511.39.1
Aug24° / 20°10.211.59.4
Sep27° / 22°10.211.98.9
Oct29° / 24°141.812.37.2
Nov30° / 25°769.812.65.5
Dec28° / 24°30524.512.84.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 84% 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 6%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1955
2955
3955
4946
5946
6937
7937
8937
9928
10928
11928
12937
13937
14937
15937
16937
17937
18937
19937
20937
21937
22946
23946
24946
25946
26946
27946
28955
29955
30955
31955

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Salima gets around 5 mm of rain over 1.2 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 4% and peaks near 9% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
19
28
38
47
57
66
76
85
95
104
114
124
134
144
154
164
174
183
193
203
213
223
233
243
253
263
272
282
292
302
312

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 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 13% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
10175330
20195328
30205426
40225424
50235423
61255321
71275319
81285318
91305217
101315315
111325314
121345213
131355212
142365111
152365210
16237529
17238519
18239509
19239518
20240508
21241498
22341488
23342478
24343468
25444457
26545447
27546427
28647416
29748396
30850375
31951355

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 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
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:54 AM to 6:02 AM, and sunset from 5:25 PM to 5:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:545:25
211.55:545:24
311.55:545:24
411.55:555:23
511.55:555:23
611.55:555:23
711.55:555:22
811.45:555:22
911.45:565:21
1011.45:565:21
1111.45:565:21
1211.45:565:20
1311.45:575:20
1411.45:575:20
1511.45:575:20
1611.45:575:19
1711.45:585:19
1811.35:585:19
1911.35:585:19
2011.35:595:18
2111.35:595:18
2211.35:595:18
2311.36:005:18
2411.36:005:18
2511.36:005:18
2611.36:005:18
2711.36:015:17
2811.36:015:17
2911.36:015:17
3011.36:025:17
3111.36:025:17

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.33 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.95 kWh/m² to a high of 7.12 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.33 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Salima

In seasonPeak

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

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

Salima'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 Salima?

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

8.9
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 Salima for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Salima in May

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

In May, Salima sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 21°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Salima 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 Salima peaks around January 21 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 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 21UV 15Jun 18UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Salima 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 Salima is worst in September — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.0× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1331 µg/m³Dec 218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May12Good
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep31Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov12Moderate
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Salima?

Salima sits at 13.8°S, 34.5°E, 512 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Monkey Bay, 60 km away.

Monkey BayDedzaLilongweMponelaNkhotakotaLichingaUlonguéMangochi

Topography around Salima

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Salima has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 22 m around an average of 506 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 402 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,693 m.

The land around Salima is covered by cropland (51%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 3 km, cropland (49%) and grassland (37%) within 16 km, and cropland (32%) and water (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
22 m
16 km
402 m
80 km
1,693 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Monkey Bay 60 km · Dedza 68 km · Lilongwe 75 km · Mponela 83 km · Nkhotakota 96 km · Lichinga 99 km · Ulongué 105 km · Mangochi 116 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 Salima (-13.7804°, 34.4587°, elevation 512 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).