Gorongosa weather in May

In May, Gorongosa sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 22 mm of rain across 6 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of May to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Gorongosa's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gorongosa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
10th warmest
Overnight low
16°
4th coldest
Rainfall
22 mm
6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:06 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
30%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
4.47 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.9
out of 10

Gorongosa is Town in Mozambique.

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 26°C through the month.

A typical May day in Gorongosa reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12617
22617
32617
42617
52616
62616
72616
82616
92616
102616
112616
122616
132616
142616
152616
162516
172516
182516
192515
202515
212515
222515
232515
242515
252515
262515
272515
282515
292515
302515
312515

How May really feels in Gorongosa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Gorongosa weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 21°25321134.1
Feb29° / 21°19717.612.64.4
Mar28° / 20°15817.912.15.1
Apr27° / 18°7011.211.66.6
May26° / 16°22611.17.9
Jun24° / 14°214.710.98.3
Jul23° / 13°276.2118.0
Aug26° / 14°235.111.48.1
Sep29° / 16°345.611.96.9
Oct30° / 18°568.612.45.6
Nov30° / 20°11612.312.94.6
Dec29° / 21°24018.213.14.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18416
28416
38416
48515
58515
68515
78515
88515
98515
108515
118515
128515
138515
148416
158317
168317
178317
188416
198317
208317
218317
228416
238416
248416
258416
268515
278515
288515
298515
308515
318515

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Gorongosa gets around 22 mm of rain over 6 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 20% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
224
324
423
522
622
721
821
920
1020
1120
1220
1320
1420
1520
1620
1720
1820
1920
2020
2119
2219
2319
2418
2518
2617
2717
2816
2916
3016
3116

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 8% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
122251232
232352211
332553181
432752171
542852151
643053130
753152120
853351110
963450100
106354990
117364880
127374880
138384770
149394660
159404560
1610414450
1711414350
1811424250
1912424150
2013424040
2114433940
2215433840
2316433740
2417433630
2518443530
2620443330
2721443230
2822453020
2924452920
3025452720
3127452620

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min at the start of May to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:01 AM to 6:12 AM, and sunset from 5:21 PM to 5:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:015:21
211.36:015:20
311.36:025:20
411.36:025:19
511.36:025:19
611.36:035:18
711.26:035:18
811.26:035:17
911.26:045:17
1011.26:045:16
1111.26:045:16
1211.26:055:15
1311.26:055:15
1411.16:065:14
1511.16:065:14
1611.16:065:14
1711.16:075:13
1811.16:075:13
1911.16:075:13
2011.16:085:12
2111.16:085:12
2211.16:095:12
2311.06:095:12
2411.06:095:11
2511.06:105:11
2611.06:105:11
2711.06:105:11
2811.06:115:11
2911.06:115:10
3011.06:125:10
3111.06:125:10

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.47 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.91 kWh/m² to a high of 6.28 kWh/m² in November across the year — May's 4.47 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.4Bright
164.4Bright
174.4Bright
184.4Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.2Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Gorongosa

In seasonPeak

None of Gorongosa's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Gorongosa's monsoon runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Gorongosa?

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

7.9
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.3
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Gorongosa for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Gorongosa in May

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

In May, Gorongosa sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 6 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Gorongosa in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gorongosa peaks around January 17 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 17UV 14Jun 21UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr10Very high
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Gorongosa 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 Gorongosa is worst in September — around 115 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 19.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyGoodSep 13111 µg/m³Dec 236 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar7Good
Apr8Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul42Poor
Aug91Unhealthy
Sep115Unhealthy
Oct52Poor
Nov12Moderate
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Gorongosa?

Gorongosa sits at 18.7°S, 34.1°E, 329 m above sea level, in Mozambique. The nearest listed city is Gondola, 64 km away.

MessicaCatandicaDondoManicaBúzi

Topography around Gorongosa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gorongosa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 163 m around an average of 358 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 900 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,822 m.

The land around Gorongosa is covered by trees (30%), cropland (25%) and shrubs (24%) within 3 km, trees (45%) and cropland (20%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and grassland (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
163 m
16 km
900 m
80 km
1,822 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswetland
May weather nearby: Gondola 64 km · Nhamatanda 68 km · Chimoio 79 km · Messica 110 km · Catandica 117 km · Dondo 125 km · Manica 129 km · Búzi 139 km

Mozambique travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F / M
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 37% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$627
2025
Happiness
5.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
28%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.6
per 100k, 2011
Road deaths
30
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 465
Religion
Catholic 27%Islam 19%Pentecostal 17%Saio/Zione 16%

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 Gorongosa (-18.6756°, 34.0728°, elevation 329 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).