Bacalar weather in May

In May, Bacalar sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 85 mm of rain across 14.3 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Bacalar's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bacalar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
1st warmest
Overnight low
24°
10th coldest
Rainfall
85 mm
14.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:23 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
53%
6th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.95 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
out of 10

Bacalar is city of Quintana Roo State, Mexico.

Founded
1545

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 33°C through the month.

A typical May day in Bacalar reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13324
23324
33324
43324
53324
63324
73324
83324
93324
103324
113324
123324
133324
143324
153324
163324
173324
183324
193324
203324
213324
223325
233325
243325
253325
263325
273325
283325
293325
303325
313325

How May really feels in Bacalar

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
8 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.

Bacalar weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 1st-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 20°379.8116.1
Feb30° / 20°195.711.45.8
Mar31° / 21°235.311.95.2
Apr33° / 23°356.612.44.2
May33° / 24°8514.312.93.2
Jun32° / 25°17521.413.12.9
Jul32° / 25°10620.1133.0
Aug33° / 24°14522.412.62.7
Sep32° / 24°16524.912.12.5
Oct31° / 23°15220.611.63.5
Nov29° / 21°7212.911.15.0
Dec29° / 20°3910.410.95.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27327
37228
47228
57228
67129
77129
87030
96931
106931
116832
126634
136535
146535
156436
166337
176238
186238
196139
206040
215842
225743
235545
245446
255248
265149
274951
284654
294555
304456
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Bacalar gets around 85 mm of rain over 14.3 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 47% and peaks near 68% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
332
432
533
633
734
835
936
1037
1138
1240
1341
1442
1544
1645
1747
1848
1950
2051
2153
2254
2356
2458
2559
2661
2762
2864
2965
3067
3168

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 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1186823
2186823
3176824
4176824
5176824
6166825
7166825
8066925
9066826
10066826
11066727
12076528
13076429
14076330
15066331
16066133
17066034
18065836
19065737
20055639
21055540
22055342
23055144
24045046
25044848
26034750
27034651
28024454
29024256
30014158
31013960

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

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 5:31 AM to 5:20 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)
112.75:316:11
212.75:306:11
312.75:306:11
412.75:296:12
512.75:286:12
612.75:286:13
712.85:276:13
812.85:276:13
912.85:266:14
1012.85:266:14
1112.85:256:14
1212.85:256:15
1312.85:256:15
1412.95:246:15
1512.95:246:16
1612.95:236:16
1712.95:236:17
1812.95:236:17
1912.95:226:17
2012.95:226:18
2112.95:226:18
2212.95:226:18
2313.05:216:19
2413.05:216:19
2513.05:216:20
2613.05:216:20
2713.05:216:20
2813.05:206:21
2913.05:206:21
3013.05:206:22
3113.05:206:22

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.95 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.8 kWh/m² to a high of 6.1 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 5.95 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Bacalar

In seasonPeak

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

Bacalar sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Bacalar's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Atlantic hurricane
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Bacalar?

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

3.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bacalar.

What to pack for Bacalar in May

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

In May, Bacalar sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Bacalar in May

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 29 km away) is warmest in September at about 30°C and coldest in January near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr28Warm
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in Bacalar 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 Bacalar peaks around April 12 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 highApr 12UV 13Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Bacalar 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 Bacalar is worst in June — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2130 µg/m³Dec 157 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr19Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun30Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bacalar?

Bacalar sits at 18.7°N, 88.4°W, 0 m above sea level, in Mexico. The nearest listed city is Chetumal, 20 km away.

Topography around Bacalar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bacalar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 27 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 64 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 229 m.

The land around Bacalar is covered by trees (41%) and water (33%) within 3 km, trees (72%) within 16 km, and trees (64%) within 80 km.

3 km
27 m
16 km
64 m
80 km
229 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
May weather nearby: Chetumal 20 km · Orange Walk 69 km · San Pedro 96 km · Crooked Tree 102 km · Felipe Carrillo Puerto 106 km · Caye Caulker 112 km · Belize City 133 km · Belmopan 163 km

Mexico travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 / 127 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 54% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$13,889
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
43%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
24.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 440
Religion
Catholic 78%no religion 11%other Evangelical Churches 8%Jehovah Witness 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 Bacalar (18.6811°, -88.3933°, elevation 0 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).