Ulaanbaatar weather in May

In May, Ulaanbaatar sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 35 mm of precipitation across 6.7 wet days and about 14.9 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ulaanbaatar's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ulaanbaatar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
4th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
35 mm
6.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 54 min
5:21 AM – 8:17 PM
Cloud cover
56%
9th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Ulaanbaatar is capital and largest city of Mongolia.

Air quality
Severe
PM2.5 60 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
180/km²
people per km²
Founded
1639

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 12°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Ulaanbaatar reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 1°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

-10°10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
111-2
212-1
312-1
412-1
512-1
612-1
7130
8130
9130
10130
11130
12141
13141
14141
15141
16151
17152
18152
19152
20162
21162
22163
23163
24173
25173
26173
27174
28174
29174
30184
31184

How May really feels in Ulaanbaatar

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 24 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
24
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Ulaanbaatar weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-17° / -28°20.50.78.60.0
Feb-11° / -24°31.21.59.90.0
Mar-2° / -15°72.22.711.60.0
Apr / -5°164.33.613.41.3
May15° / 356.7314.94.8
Jun20° / 559.50.215.76.3
Jul22° / 11°6611.2015.46.4
Aug20° / 6810.7014.16.2
Sep14° / 397.21.512.44.6
Oct / -6°153.83.310.60.7
Nov-7° / -18°62.12.690.0
Dec-15° / -25°20.91.38.30.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25050
35149
45149
55149
65149
75149
85149
95149
105149
115149
125149
135149
145248
155248
165347
175446
185446
195545
205545
215644
225644
235644
245743
255743
265644
275743
285743
295743
305644
315644

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Ulaanbaatar gets around 35 mm of rain and snow over 6.7 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 22% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12014
22014
32114
42214
52215
62315
72314
82314
92314
102313
112313
122312
132312
142311
152310
162210
17229
18228
19227
20217
21216
22216
23215
24215
25215
26224
27224
28224
29234
30233
31233

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May, the windiest month of the year.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 78 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:43 AM to 5:05 AM, and sunset from 7:56 PM to 8:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.25:437:56
214.35:417:58
314.35:407:59
414.45:388:00
514.45:378:02
614.55:358:03
714.55:338:05
814.65:328:06
914.65:308:07
1014.75:298:09
1114.75:278:10
1214.85:268:12
1314.85:258:13
1414.95:238:14
1514.95:228:16
1614.95:218:17
1715.05:198:18
1815.05:188:19
1915.15:178:21
2015.15:168:22
2115.15:158:23
2215.25:138:24
2315.25:128:26
2415.35:118:27
2515.35:108:28
2615.35:098:29
2715.45:098:30
2815.45:088:31
2915.45:078:32
3015.55:068:33
3115.55:058:34

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.52 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.49 kWh/m² to a high of 6.52 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 6.52 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.4Intense
136.4Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.7Intense
266.7Intense
276.8Intense
286.8Intense
296.8Intense
306.8Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Ulaanbaatar?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Ulaanbaatar for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ulaanbaatar in May

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

In May, Ulaanbaatar sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 1°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layer

UV index in Ulaanbaatar in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ulaanbaatar peaks around July 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowJul 18UV 8Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Ulaanbaatar 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 Ulaanbaatar is worst in July — around 135 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.3× the cleanest month (October, 41 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Ulaanbaatar's WHO annual average of 60 µg/m³.

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyPoorJul 16128 µg/m³Oct 1141 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan56Unhealthy
Feb55Unhealthy
Mar48Poor
Apr48Poor
May54Poor
Jun78Unhealthy
Jul135Unhealthy
Aug73Unhealthy
Sep42Poor
Oct41Poor
Nov48Poor
Dec41Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Ulaanbaatar?

Ulaanbaatar sits at 47.9°N, 106.9°E, 1,284 m above sea level, in Mongolia. The nearest listed city is Zuunmod, 23 km away.

DarhanErdenetSühbaatarBulgan

Topography around Ulaanbaatar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ulaanbaatar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 247 m around an average of 1,304 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,018 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,795 m.

The land around Ulaanbaatar is covered by artificial surfaces (81%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (79%) within 80 km.

3 km
247 m
16 km
1,018 m
80 km
1,795 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Zuunmod 23 km · Dzuunmod 23 km · Nalayh 34 km · Dzüünharaa 110 km · Darhan 189 km · Erdenet 241 km · Sühbaatar 263 km · Bulgan 267 km

Mongolia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / E / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$7,108
2025
Happiness
5.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
43%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
21
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 447
Religion
Buddhist 52%no religion 41%Muslim 3%Shaman 3%

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 Ulaanbaatar (47.9077°, 106.8832°, elevation 1,284 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).