Kiffa weather in May

In May, Kiffa sees average daytime highs of 42°C and overnight lows near 30°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.3 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 42°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of May to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kiffa's 4th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kiffa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
42°
1st warmest
Overnight low
30°
11th coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
6:19 AM – 7:05 PM
Cloud cover
28%
4th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
7.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Kiffa is commune of Mauritania.

Density
53/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

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 42°C through the month.

A typical May day in Kiffa reaches about 42°C in the afternoon and slips back to 30°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 39°C and 44°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C warmer than April and on par with June.

25°30°35°40°45°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14128
24228
34228
44228
54229
64229
74229
84229
94229
104229
114229
124229
134230
144230
154230
164230
174230
184230
194230
204230
214230
224230
234230
244230
254230
264230
274230
284231
294231
304231
314231

How May really feels in Kiffa

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.

Kiffa weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 1st-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 17°10.211.16.2
Feb33° / 19°00.111.44.4
Mar37° / 23°00.111.92.1
Apr40° / 27°0012.40.1
May42° / 30°10.312.80.0
Jun41° / 31°41130.0
Jul38° / 29°21412.91.2
Aug36° / 27°628.212.62.2
Sep37° / 27°376.412.11.6
Oct39° / 27°112.111.60.9
Nov36° / 22°10.211.22.8
Dec31° / 18°20.2115.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 18%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18416
28416
38416
48416
58416
68515
78515
88515
98515
108416
118416
128416
138317
148317
158317
168218
178218
188119
198119
208119
218119
228119
237921
247921
257921
267921
277921
287822
297822
307822
317822

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kiffa gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.3 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 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
192
202
212
222
232
242
252
262
272
282
292
302
312

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 82% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1954100
2954100
3944200
4935200
5935200
6916300
7906310
8897310
9887410
10878410
11878410
12869410
13859510
148310520
158310520
168211520
178011621
187912621
197912621
207713631
217713631
227614631
237614631
247514731
257415731
267415731
277216841
287116841
297017841
306917941
316818941

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 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
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of May to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:25 AM to 6:16 AM, and sunset from 7:01 PM to 7:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.66:257:01
212.66:257:01
312.66:247:01
412.66:247:01
512.66:237:02
612.76:237:02
712.76:227:02
812.76:227:03
912.76:217:03
1012.76:217:03
1112.76:207:03
1212.76:207:04
1312.76:207:04
1412.86:197:04
1512.86:197:05
1612.86:197:05
1712.86:187:05
1812.86:187:06
1912.86:187:06
2012.86:177:06
2112.86:177:07
2212.86:177:07
2312.86:177:07
2412.96:177:08
2512.96:167:08
2612.96:167:09
2712.96:167:09
2812.96:167:09
2912.96:167:10
3012.96:167:10
3112.96:167:10

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.42 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.09 kWh/m² to a high of 7.44 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 7.42 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
127.4Intense
137.4Intense
147.4Intense
157.4Intense
167.4Intense
177.4Intense
187.4Intense
197.4Intense
207.4Intense
217.4Intense
227.4Intense
237.4Intense
247.4Intense
257.3Intense
267.3Intense
277.3Intense
287.3Intense
297.3Intense
307.3Intense
317.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kiffa

In seasonPeak

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

Kiffa 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 Kiffa?

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
1.7
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kiffa.

What to pack for Kiffa in May

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

In May, Kiffa sees daytime highs around 42°C and nights near 30°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Kiffa 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 Kiffa peaks around March 19 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highExtremeVery highMar 19UV 13Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Kiffa 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 Kiffa is worst in January — around 133 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.6× the cleanest month (September, 37 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyJan 17132 µg/m³Sep 1037 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan133Unhealthy
Feb123Unhealthy
Mar93Unhealthy
Apr73Unhealthy
May74Unhealthy
Jun91Unhealthy
Jul67Unhealthy
Aug38Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct55Poor
Nov68Unhealthy
Dec121Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kiffa?

Kiffa sits at 16.6°N, 11.4°W, 127 m above sea level, in Mauritania. The nearest listed city is Guerou, 85 km away.

GuerouEl ’AyoûnṬinṭâneElghabraSélibabyAyoun El AtrousMagṭa‘ LaḥjarMatam

Topography around Kiffa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kiffa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 73 m around an average of 125 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 84 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 584 m.

The land around Kiffa is covered by bare terrain (43%) and grassland (37%) within 3 km, grassland (74%) and bare terrain (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (75%) and bare terrain (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
73 m
16 km
84 m
80 km
584 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Guerou 85 km · El ’Ayoûn 121 km · Ṭinṭâne 133 km · Elghabra 135 km · Sélibaby 183 km · Ayoun El Atrous 190 km · Magṭa‘ Laḥjar 205 km · Matam 225 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 Kiffa (16.6207°, -11.4021°, elevation 127 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).