Atar weather in May

In May, Atar sees average daytime highs of 38°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 36°C in the first days to 39°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% 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 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Atar's 3rd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Atar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
5th warmest
Overnight low
25°
8th coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
13 hours
6:19 AM – 7:18 PM
Cloud cover
22%
3rd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
7.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.7
out of 10

Atar is city in Mauritania.

Density
155/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 36°C in the first days to 39°C by the end.

A typical May day in Atar reaches about 38°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 33°C and 41°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13623
23623
33623
43623
53623
63723
73724
83724
93724
103724
113724
123724
133724
143724
153825
163825
173825
183825
193825
203825
213825
223825
233825
243825
253826
263826
273826
283926
293926
303926
313926

How May really feels in Atar

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.

Atar weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 14°30.410.98.8
Feb28° / 16°20.411.37.9
Mar31° / 18°20.411.95.8
Apr35° / 21°10.212.53.7
May38° / 25°10.1131.7
Jun40° / 27°10.613.20.2
Jul40° / 28°31.113.10.0
Aug40° / 28°14412.70.3
Sep39° / 28°153.812.10.9
Oct36° / 24°81.111.52.7
Nov31° / 19°30.6115.8
Dec27° / 15°50.610.88.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% 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 12%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18713
28713
38812
48812
58911
68911
78911
88911
98911
109010
118911
128911
138911
148911
158812
168812
178812
188713
198713
208713
218713
228614
238614
248614
258713
268713
278713
288713
298713
308812
318812

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Atar gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.1 wet days in May, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
210000
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89910
99910
109910
119910
129910
139910
149910
159811
169811
179811
189811
199811
209811
219811
229811
239811
249721
259721
269721
279721
289721
299721
309721
319631

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
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of May to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:27 AM to 6:15 AM, and sunset from 7:12 PM to 7:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.76:277:12
212.86:277:12
312.86:267:12
412.86:257:13
512.86:257:13
612.86:247:14
712.86:247:14
812.96:237:14
912.96:227:15
1012.96:227:15
1112.96:217:16
1212.96:217:16
1312.96:217:16
1412.96:207:17
1513.06:207:17
1613.06:197:18
1713.06:197:18
1813.06:197:18
1913.06:187:19
2013.06:187:19
2113.06:187:20
2213.06:177:20
2313.16:177:21
2413.16:177:21
2513.16:167:21
2613.16:167:22
2713.16:167:22
2813.16:167:23
2913.16:167:23
3013.16:157:23
3113.16:157:24

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.66 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.71 kWh/m² to a high of 7.66 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 7.66 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.7Intense
27.7Intense
37.7Intense
47.7Intense
57.7Intense
67.7Intense
77.7Intense
87.7Intense
97.7Intense
107.7Intense
117.7Intense
127.7Intense
137.7Intense
147.7Intense
157.7Intense
167.7Intense
177.7Intense
187.7Intense
197.7Intense
207.7Intense
217.6Intense
227.6Intense
237.6Intense
247.6Intense
257.6Intense
267.6Intense
277.6Intense
287.6Intense
297.6Intense
307.6Intense
317.6Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Atar

In seasonPeak

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

Atar sees dust haze year-round, heaviest in July.

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

Is May a good time to visit Atar?

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

1.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Atar.

What to pack for Atar in May

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

In May, Atar sees daytime highs around 38°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Atar 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 Atar peaks around March 17 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highExtremeVery highHighMar 17UV 11Dec 16UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep10Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov7Very high
Dec6High

Air quality in Atar 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 Atar is worst in January — around 117 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.9× the cleanest month (April, 60 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyJan 12116 µg/m³Apr 2260 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan117Unhealthy
Feb102Unhealthy
Mar80Unhealthy
Apr60Unhealthy
May62Unhealthy
Jun89Unhealthy
Jul114Unhealthy
Aug94Unhealthy
Sep77Unhealthy
Oct69Unhealthy
Nov64Unhealthy
Dec112Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Atar?

Atar sits at 20.5°N, 13.0°W, 192 m above sea level, in Mauritania. The nearest listed city is Akjoujt, 164 km away.

AkjoujtZouératMagṭa‘ LaḥjarBoutilimittAlegGuerouDar NaimKsar

Topography around Atar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Atar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 26 m around an average of 229 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 603 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 691 m.

The land around Atar is covered by bare terrain (96%) within 3 km, bare terrain (100%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (100%) within 80 km.

3 km
26 m
16 km
603 m
80 km
691 m
treesshrubsartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Akjoujt 164 km · Zouérat 254 km · Magṭa‘ Laḥjar 335 km · Boutilimitt 373 km · Aleg 396 km · Guerou 397 km · Dar Naim 404 km · Ksar 407 km

Mauritania travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 31% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,198
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
1
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
25.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Muslim 100%

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 Atar (20.5188°, -13.0464°, elevation 192 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).