Alor Setar weather in May

In May, Alor Setar sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 243 mm of rain across 26 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% 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 Alor Setar's 8th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Alor Setar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
5th warmest
Overnight low
26°
12th coldest
Rainfall
243 mm
26 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
7:06 AM – 7:23 PM
Cloud cover
84%
8th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Alor Setar is state capital of Kedah, Malaysia.

Density
2,611/km²
people per km²
Founded
1735

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 30°C through the month.

A typical May day in Alor Setar reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

25°28°30°33°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13026
23026
33026
43026
53026
63026
73026
83026
93026
103026
113026
123026
133026
143026
153026
163026
173026
183026
193026
203026
213026
223026
233026
243026
253026
263026
273026
283026
293026
303026
313026

How May really feels in Alor Setar

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.

Alor Setar weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 25°539.311.74.7
Feb31° / 25°589.711.84.3
Mar31° / 26°13218.4123.6
Apr30° / 26°19325.712.13.0
May30° / 26°2432612.33.0
Jun30° / 26°18421.312.33.4
Jul30° / 26°19022.212.33.6
Aug29° / 26°23223.612.23.5
Sep29° / 26°25926123.2
Oct29° / 26°32028.611.93.0
Nov29° / 25°2342511.73.3
Dec29° / 25°12915.611.74.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% 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 87%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21684
31585
41585
51585
61387
71387
81486
91486
101486
111387
121387
131486
141486
151486
161387
171387
181387
191387
201288
211288
221288
231288
241288
251288
261288
271189
281189
291189
301189
311189

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Alor Setar gets around 243 mm of rain over 26 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 84% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
189
289
389
489
588
687
787
886
985
1085
1184
1283
1383
1483
1582
1682
1782
1882
1982
2082
2182
2282
2382
2482
2583
2683
2783
2883
2983
3082
3182

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 98% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1298
2298
3298
4298
5298
6298
7298
8199
9199
10199
11199
12199
13199
14199
15199
16199
17199
18199
19199
20199
21298
22298
23298
24298
25298
26298
27298
28298
29298
30397
31397

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 7 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
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 7:09 AM to 7:06 AM, and sunset from 7:22 PM to 7:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.27:097:22
212.27:097:22
312.27:097:22
412.27:097:22
512.27:087:22
612.27:087:22
712.27:087:22
812.27:087:22
912.27:087:22
1012.37:077:23
1112.37:077:23
1212.37:077:23
1312.37:077:23
1412.37:077:23
1512.37:077:23
1612.37:067:23
1712.37:067:23
1812.37:067:23
1912.37:067:24
2012.37:067:24
2112.37:067:24
2212.37:067:24
2312.37:067:24
2412.37:067:24
2512.37:067:25
2612.37:067:25
2712.37:067:25
2812.37:067:25
2912.37:067:25
3012.37:067:26
3112.37:067:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 5.3 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Alor Setar

In seasonPeak

In May, Alor Setar sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Alor Setar sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

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

Is May a good time to visit Alor Setar?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Alor Setar.

What to pack for Alor Setar in May

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

In May, Alor Setar sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Alor Setar in May

The nearest coast averages about 31°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 31°C and coldest in January near 28°C.

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

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May31Tropical
Jun31Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Alor Setar in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Alor Setar peaks around February 19 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 18 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 19UV 14Jul 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Alor Setar 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 Alor Setar is worst in July — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJul 1129 µg/m³Feb 1120 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan21Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr27Moderate
May26Moderate
Jun29Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov23Moderate
Dec20Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Alor Setar?

Alor Setar sits at 6.1°N, 100.4°E, 7 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Kampung Alor Mengkudu, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Alor Setar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Alor Setar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 16 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,254 m.

The land around Alor Setar is covered by artificial surfaces (63%) within 3 km, cropland (55%) and water (22%) within 16 km, and trees (51%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
16 m
16 km
200 m
80 km
1,254 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
May weather nearby: Kampung Alor Mengkudu 5.0 km · Kuala Kedah 7.0 km · Anak Bukit 7.0 km · Tokai 11 km · Jitra 18 km · Pokok Sena 18 km · Pendang 19 km · Padang Besar 30 km

Malaysia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 32% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$13,125
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
95%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
22.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 581
Religion
Muslim 64%Buddhist 19%Christian 9%Hindu 6%

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 Alor Setar (6.121°, 100.3601°, elevation 7 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). 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).