Nacala weather in May

In May, Nacala sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 18 mm of rain across 4.5 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Nacala's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nacala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
7th warmest
Overnight low
24°
5th coldest
Rainfall
18 mm
4.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
5:34 AM – 4:53 PM
Cloud cover
28%
4th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.8
out of 10

Nacala is port city in Nampula Province, 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 27°C through the month.

A typical May day in Nacala reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12824
22824
32824
42824
52824
62824
72824
82824
92824
102824
112824
122724
132724
142724
152724
162724
172724
182724
192724
202724
212724
222723
232723
242723
252723
262723
272723
282723
292723
302723
312723

How May really feels in Nacala

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.

Nacala weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 26°20723.712.83.9
Feb28° / 26°17521.812.53.9
Mar28° / 25°19022.112.14.2
Apr28° / 25°7612.711.75.9
May27° / 24°184.511.37.8
Jun26° / 22°164.711.28.1
Jul25° / 22°154.511.28.2
Aug25° / 22°82.311.58.7
Sep26° / 22°71.311.98.9
Oct27° / 24°102.712.38.4
Nov28° / 25°26612.77.5
Dec28° / 26°11417.212.85.1

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 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 8%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1928
2928
3928
4928
5928
6928
7928
8928
9928
10919
11919
129010
139010
149010
159010
169010
179010
189010
199010
20919
21919
22919
23928
24928
25928
26946
27946
28946
29955
30955
31955

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Nacala gets around 18 mm of rain over 4.5 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 16% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
220
320
419
519
618
718
817
917
1017
1117
1217
1317
1417
1517
1616
1716
1815
1915
2014
2114
2213
2313
2413
2512
2612
2712
2812
2912
3012
3112

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 51% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 96% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1126694
2227674
3229654
4230653
5231643
6233632
7234622
8235612
9337591
10338581
11339571
12341551
13342541
14343531
15344530
16346510
17347500
18348490
19449480
20449470
21450460
22550450
23552430
24652420
25653410
26753400
27854380
28954370
291055350
301056340
311157320

Wind in May

Winds average 19 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:30 AM to 5:38 AM, and sunset from 4:59 PM to 4:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:304:59
211.55:304:59
311.55:304:58
411.55:314:58
511.45:314:57
611.45:314:57
711.45:314:56
811.45:324:56
911.45:324:56
1011.45:324:55
1111.45:324:55
1211.45:334:55
1311.45:334:54
1411.35:334:54
1511.35:334:54
1611.35:344:53
1711.35:344:53
1811.35:344:53
1911.35:354:53
2011.35:354:52
2111.35:354:52
2211.35:364:52
2311.35:364:52
2411.35:364:52
2511.25:364:51
2611.25:374:51
2711.25:374:51
2811.25:374:51
2911.25:384:51
3011.25:384:51
3111.25:384:51

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.14 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.59 kWh/m² to a high of 7.28 kWh/m² in November across the year — May's 5.14 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Nacala

In seasonPeak

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

Nacala sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Nacala's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Nacala?

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

7.8
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
8.0
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Nacala in May

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

In May, Nacala sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Nacala in May

The nearest coast averages about 28°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 22 km away) is warmest in March at about 29°C and coldest in August near 26°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Nacala in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nacala peaks around January 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 20UV 16Jun 20UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Nacala?

Nacala sits at 14.6°S, 40.7°E, 137 m above sea level, in Mozambique. The nearest listed city is Mossuril, 45 km away.

Namapa-eratiChiúreNampulaPemba

Topography around Nacala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nacala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 146 m around an average of 80 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 509 m.

The land around Nacala is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and grassland (30%) within 3 km, grassland (69%) within 16 km, and water (38%), grassland (28%) and shrubs (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
146 m
16 km
190 m
80 km
509 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
May weather nearby: Mossuril 45 km · Mozambique 53 km · Monapo 57 km · Namialo 85 km · Namapa-erati 132 km · Chiúre 163 km · Nampula 164 km · Pemba 178 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 Nacala (-14.5626°, 40.6854°, elevation 137 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).