Setapak weather in May

In May, Setapak sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 241 mm of rain across 26.3 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Setapak's 8th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Setapak's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
4th warmest
Overnight low
23°
12th coldest
Rainfall
241 mm
26.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
7:05 AM – 7:14 PM
Cloud cover
86%
8th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Setapak is township in Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.

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 31°C through the month.

A typical May day in Setapak reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13123
23123
33123
43123
53123
63123
73123
83123
93123
103123
113123
123123
133123
143123
153123
163123
173123
183123
193123
203123
213123
223123
233123
243123
253123
263123
273123
283123
293023
303023
313023

How May really feels in Setapak

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.

Setapak weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 22°20120.411.83.7
Feb31° / 22°16417.411.93.5
Mar31° / 22°26325.1122.9
Apr31° / 23°29627.912.12.6
May31° / 23°24126.312.12.8
Jun30° / 23°17322.912.23.2
Jul30° / 22°18124.812.23.2
Aug30° / 22°21425.512.13.1
Sep30° / 22°23425.2123.1
Oct30° / 22°29326.411.93.0
Nov30° / 22°3712811.92.8
Dec29° / 22°27525.311.83.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% 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 91%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1892
2892
3793
4793
5793
6793
7793
8793
9793
10793
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16892
17991
18991
19991
20991
211090
221090
231090
241189
251189
261189
271189
281189
291189
301288
311288

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Setapak gets around 241 mm of rain over 26.3 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 90% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
190
290
389
488
587
686
785
884
983
1083
1182
1281
1381
1481
1581
1682
1782
1883
1983
2084
2184
2285
2385
2486
2586
2686
2786
2886
2986
3086
3186

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 79% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
17921
27822
37822
47723
57723
67723
77624
87624
97624
107624
117624
127624
137624
147624
157624
167723
177723
187822
197822
207921
217921
228020
238119
248119
258218
268317
278416
288416
298515
308515
318614

Wind in May

Winds average 4 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 12 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 7:07 AM to 7:05 AM, and sunset from 7:14 PM to 7:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.17:077:14
212.17:077:14
312.17:077:14
412.17:067:13
512.17:067:13
612.17:067:13
712.17:067:13
812.17:067:13
912.17:067:13
1012.17:057:13
1112.17:057:13
1212.17:057:13
1312.17:057:14
1412.17:057:14
1512.17:057:14
1612.17:057:14
1712.17:057:14
1812.17:057:14
1912.27:057:14
2012.27:057:14
2112.27:057:14
2212.27:057:14
2312.27:057:14
2412.27:057:15
2512.27:057:15
2612.27:057:15
2712.27:057:15
2812.27:057:15
2912.27:057:15
3012.27:057:15
3112.27:057:16

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.03 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.27 kWh/m² to a high of 5.66 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 5.03 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Setapak

In seasonPeak

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

Setapak 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 Setapak?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Setapak.

What to pack for Setapak in May

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

In May, Setapak sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Setapak 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 40 km away) is warmest in May at about 30°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
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Setapak in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Setapak peaks around February 17 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 22 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 17UV 14Nov 22UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Setapak 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 Setapak is worst in September — around 66 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyPoorSep 1965 µg/m³Feb 1349 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan52Poor
Feb48Poor
Mar54Poor
Apr59Unhealthy
May55Unhealthy
Jun55Unhealthy
Jul57Unhealthy
Aug59Unhealthy
Sep66Unhealthy
Oct62Unhealthy
Nov55Poor
Dec51Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Setapak?

Setapak sits at 3.2°N, 101.7°E, 52 m above sea level, in Malaysia. The nearest listed city is Wangsa Maju, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Setapak

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Setapak has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 286 m around an average of 78 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,287 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,155 m.

The land around Setapak is covered by artificial surfaces (69%) and trees (29%) within 3 km, trees (64%) and artificial surfaces (33%) within 16 km, and trees (73%) within 80 km.

3 km
286 m
16 km
1,287 m
80 km
2,155 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
May weather nearby: Wangsa Maju 2.0 km · Taman Melati 2.0 km · Taman Melawati 2.0 km · Taman Greenwood 4.0 km · Titiwangsa 4.0 km · Sentul 6.0 km · Ulu Kelang 6.0 km · Batu Caves 6.0 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 Setapak (3.207°, 101.727°, elevation 52 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).