Balik Pulau weather in May

In May, Balik Pulau sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 228 mm of rain across 26.1 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 4th-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 Balik Pulau's 8th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Balik Pulau's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
1st warmest
Overnight low
26°
11th coldest
Rainfall
228 mm
26.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
7:08 AM – 7:23 PM
Cloud cover
85%
8th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.2 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
out of 10

Balik Pulau is suburb of George Town, Penang, Malaysia.

Founded
1794

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 Balik Pulau 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 Balik Pulau

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.

Balik Pulau weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 1st-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 25°12720.311.74.0
Feb30° / 26°10017.711.83.9
Mar30° / 26°17023.4123.3
Apr30° / 26°20727.912.12.7
May30° / 26°22826.112.22.9
Jun30° / 27°16020.412.33.4
Jul30° / 26°1642112.33.5
Aug30° / 26°20122.812.23.4
Sep29° / 26°22825.1123.2
Oct29° / 26°33129.111.92.9
Nov29° / 26°31728.211.83.0
Dec29° / 26°21423.311.73.6

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 7% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 89%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11288
21189
31189
41090
51189
61189
71090
81090
91090
101090
111090
121090
131090
141090
151090
161189
171189
181189
191090
201189
211189
221189
231189
241288
251189
261189
271189
281090
291090
301090
311090

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Balik Pulau gets around 228 mm of rain over 26.1 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 85% and peaks near 93% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
193
293
393
492
591
691
790
889
988
1087
1186
1285
1384
1483
1583
1682
1781
1881
1981
2080
2180
2280
2380
2481
2581
2681
2781
2881
2981
3081
3180

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 95% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1397
2397
3298
4298
5298
6298
7298
8397
9397
10397
11397
12397
13397
14496
15496
16496
17496
18595
19595
20595
21694
22694
23694
24793
25793
26793
27793
28793
29793
30793
31892

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 7:11 AM to 7:08 AM, and sunset from 7:22 PM to 7:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.27:117:22
212.27:107:22
312.27:107:22
412.27:107:22
512.27:107:22
612.27:107:22
712.27:097:22
812.27:097:22
912.27:097:22
1012.27:097:22
1112.27:097:22
1212.27:087:22
1312.27:087:22
1412.27:087:22
1512.27:087:22
1612.27:087:23
1712.27:087:23
1812.27:087:23
1912.37:087:23
2012.37:087:23
2112.37:087:23
2212.37:087:23
2312.37:087:24
2412.37:087:24
2512.37:087:24
2612.37:087:24
2712.37:087:24
2812.37:087:24
2912.37:087:25
3012.37:087:25
3112.37:087:25

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.2 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.42 kWh/m² to a high of 5.82 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 5.2 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
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 Balik Pulau

In seasonPeak

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

Balik Pulau 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 Balik Pulau?

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

2.9
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Balik Pulau.

What to pack for Balik Pulau in May

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

In May, Balik Pulau 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 Balik Pulau in May

The nearest coast averages about 30°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 13 km away) is warmest in June at about 31°C and coldest in January near 29°C.

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

28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun31Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Balik Pulau in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Balik Pulau peaks around February 18 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 16 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeExtremeFeb 18UV 14Jul 16UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Balik Pulau 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 Balik Pulau is worst in March — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 1631 µg/m³Nov 2026 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan28Moderate
Feb29Moderate
Mar31Moderate
Apr28Moderate
May27Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul31Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep30Moderate
Oct30Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec27Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Balik Pulau?

Balik Pulau sits at 5.3°N, 100.2°E, 24 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Kampung Sungai Ara, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Balik Pulau

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Balik Pulau has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 519 m around an average of 149 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 818 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,832 m.

The land around Balik Pulau is covered by trees (86%) within 3 km, water (62%) and trees (26%) within 16 km, and water (51%) and trees (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
519 m
16 km
818 m
80 km
1,832 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
May weather nearby: Kampung Sungai Ara 5.0 km · Paya Terubong 5.0 km · Relau 5.0 km · Bayan Lepas 6.0 km · Bukit Gemuroh 7.0 km · Kampung Teluk Kumbar 7.0 km · Ayer Itam 7.0 km · Glugor 8.0 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 Balik Pulau (5.3492°, 100.2394°, elevation 24 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).