Petagas weather in May

In May, Petagas sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 163 mm of rain across 21.8 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% 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 Petagas's 5th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Petagas's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
1st warmest
Overnight low
26°
12th coldest
Rainfall
163 mm
21.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:04 AM – 6:20 PM
Cloud cover
80%
5th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical May day in Petagas reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 30°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)
12926
22926
32926
42926
52926
62926
72926
82926
92926
102926
112926
122926
132926
142926
152926
162926
172926
182926
192926
202926
213026
223026
232926
242926
252926
262926
272926
282926
292926
302926
312926

How May really feels in Petagas

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.

Petagas weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 1st-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 25°15318.511.74.8
Feb28° / 25°9814.211.85.3
Mar28° / 25°9416124.9
Apr29° / 26°11019.412.14.1
May29° / 26°16321.812.33.7
Jun29° / 26°18718.512.33.9
Jul29° / 26°16618.412.34.1
Aug29° / 26°1781812.24.1
Sep29° / 26°17319.9123.9
Oct29° / 25°26426.111.93.5
Nov28° / 25°22926.211.73.4
Dec28° / 26°21224.911.73.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22377
32179
42179
52080
62080
71981
81882
91882
101783
111783
121783
131882
141882
151882
161882
171882
181981
191981
201981
211882
221882
231882
241882
251783
261783
271783
281783
291783
301783
311684

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Petagas gets around 163 mm of rain over 21.8 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 70% and peaks near 74% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
174
274
374
474
574
674
774
874
973
1073
1172
1271
1370
1470
1569
1668
1768
1867
1966
2066
2166
2266
2366
2466
2567
2667
2768
2868
2969
3070
3170

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 77% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11189
21288
31387
41486
51585
61783
71882
82080
92179
102278
112476
122575
132674
142674
152773
162773
172872
182872
192872
202872
212773
222773
232773
242674
252674
262674
272674
282575
292575
302575
312674

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
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 6:07 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 6:19 PM to 6:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:076:19
212.26:076:19
312.26:066:19
412.26:066:19
512.26:066:19
612.26:066:19
712.26:056:19
812.26:056:19
912.26:056:19
1012.26:056:19
1112.26:056:20
1212.36:056:20
1312.36:046:20
1412.36:046:20
1512.36:046:20
1612.36:046:20
1712.36:046:20
1812.36:046:20
1912.36:046:20
2012.36:046:21
2112.36:046:21
2212.36:046:21
2312.36:046:21
2412.36:046:21
2512.36:046:21
2612.36:046:22
2712.36:046:22
2812.36:046:22
2912.36:046:22
3012.36:046:22
3112.36:046:23

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.61 kWh/m² to a high of 5.94 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 5.52 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Petagas

In seasonPeak

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

Petagas 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 Petagas?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Petagas.

What to pack for Petagas in May

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

In May, Petagas sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Petagas 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 20 km away) is warmest in June at about 30°C and coldest in February near 27°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
Jan28Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar28Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Petagas in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Petagas peaks around April 12 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 12UV 14Dec 12UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Petagas 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 Petagas is worst in September — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1416 µg/m³Dec 1710 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Petagas?

Petagas sits at 5.9°N, 116.0°E, 29 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Putatan, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Petagas

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Petagas has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 49 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 798 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,023 m.

The land around Petagas is covered by water (32%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (39%) within 16 km, and trees (53%) and water (43%) within 80 km.

3 km
49 m
16 km
798 m
80 km
4,023 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
May weather nearby: Putatan 2.0 km · Donggongon 6.0 km · Kota Kinabalu 7.0 km · Kinarut 10 km · Papar 24 km · Tambunan 44 km · Kuala Penyu 63 km · Keningau 65 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 Petagas (5.9116°, 116.0499°, elevation 29 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).