Kidal weather in May

In May, Kidal sees average daytime highs of 41°C and overnight lows near 28°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.4 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 41°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of May to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kidal's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kidal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
41°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
28°
10th coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:25 AM – 6:17 PM
Cloud cover
29%
8th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
7.47 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 41°C through the month.

A typical May day in Kidal reaches about 41°C in the afternoon and slips back to 28°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 39°C and 43°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C warmer than April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°40°45°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14026
24026
34026
44127
54127
64127
74127
84127
94127
104127
114127
124127
134128
144128
154128
164128
174128
184128
194128
204128
214128
224128
234128
244128
254229
264229
274229
284229
294229
304229
314229

How May really feels in Kidal

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
31 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
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.

Kidal weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 13°10.3118.4
Feb30° / 16°00.111.46.6
Mar34° / 20°0011.93.8
Apr39° / 24°0012.40.9
May41° / 28°10.412.90.0
Jun41° / 29°31.213.10.0
Jul40° / 28°93.1130.2
Aug39° / 27°175.312.60.8
Sep39° / 27°51.712.10.6
Oct37° / 24°20.311.61.7
Nov33° / 19°0011.14.7
Dec28° / 15°0010.97.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18614
28614
38614
48614
58515
68515
78515
88416
98317
108317
118218
128218
138119
148119
158020
168020
178119
188119
198218
208317
218317
228416
238416
248515
258713
268713
278812
288812
298812
309010
319010

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kidal gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.4 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 2% and peaks near 3% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
152
162
172
182
192
202
212
222
232
242
252
262
272
282
292
303
313

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
199100
299100
399100
499100
599100
698110
798110
898110
998110
1097210
1197210
1297210
1397210
1497210
1597210
1696310
1795311
1895311
1995311
2095311
2194411
2294411
2393421
2493421
2593421
2692521
2792521
2892521
2991621
3091621
3191621

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of May to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:32 AM to 5:21 AM, and sunset from 6:11 PM to 6:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:326:11
212.75:316:12
312.75:316:12
412.75:306:12
512.75:306:13
612.75:296:13
712.75:286:13
812.85:286:14
912.85:286:14
1012.85:276:14
1112.85:276:15
1212.85:266:15
1312.85:266:15
1412.85:256:16
1512.95:256:16
1612.95:256:17
1712.95:246:17
1812.95:246:17
1912.95:246:18
2012.95:236:18
2112.95:236:18
2212.95:236:19
2312.95:236:19
2413.05:226:20
2513.05:226:20
2613.05:226:20
2713.05:226:21
2813.05:226:21
2913.05:216:22
3013.05:216:22
3113.05:216:22

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.47 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.16 kWh/m² to a high of 7.49 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 7.47 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.5Intense
27.5Intense
37.5Intense
47.5Intense
57.5Intense
67.5Intense
77.5Intense
87.5Intense
97.5Intense
107.5Intense
117.5Intense
127.5Intense
137.5Intense
147.5Intense
157.5Intense
167.5Intense
177.4Intense
187.4Intense
197.4Intense
207.4Intense
217.4Intense
227.4Intense
237.4Intense
247.4Intense
257.4Intense
267.4Intense
277.4Intense
287.4Intense
297.4Intense
307.4Intense
317.4Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kidal

In seasonPeak

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

Kidal sees dust haze year-round, heaviest in June.

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

Is May a good time to visit Kidal?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
2.3
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kidal.

What to pack for Kidal in May

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

In May, Kidal sees daytime highs around 41°C and nights near 28°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Kidal 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 Kidal peaks around March 20 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highExtremeVery highHighMar 20UV 12Dec 19UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec6High

Air quality in Kidal 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 Kidal is worst in January — around 108 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.2× the cleanest month (September, 50 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyUnhealthyJan 19107 µg/m³Sep 1751 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan108Unhealthy
Feb104Unhealthy
Mar94Unhealthy
Apr71Unhealthy
May78Unhealthy
Jun78Unhealthy
Jul77Unhealthy
Aug66Unhealthy
Sep50Poor
Oct63Unhealthy
Nov63Unhealthy
Dec100Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kidal?

Kidal sits at 18.4°N, 1.4°E, 457 m above sea level, in Mali. The nearest listed city is Bourem, 249 km away.

BouremGaoAndéranboukanI-n-TillitAyorouMéhanaTillabériTéra

Topography around Kidal

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kidal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 48 m around an average of 460 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 184 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 487 m.

The land around Kidal is covered by bare terrain (90%) within 3 km, bare terrain (94%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (90%) within 80 km.

3 km
48 m
16 km
184 m
80 km
487 m
grasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Bourem 249 km · Gao 287 km · Andéranboukan 376 km · I-n-Tillit 379 km · Ayorou 416 km · Méhana 451 km · Tillabéri 471 km · Téra 498 km

Mali travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,193
2025
Happiness
4.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Road deaths
22.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 408
Religion
Muslim 94%Christian 3%none 3%animist 1%

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 Kidal (18.4434°, 1.4092°, elevation 457 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. 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).