Grootfontein weather in May

In May, Grootfontein sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.5 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 24°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 87% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of May to 10 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Grootfontein's 4th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grootfontein's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
10th warmest
Overnight low
12°
4th coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
7:12 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
14%
4th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
9.2
out of 10

Grootfontein is city in Namibia.

Founded
1885

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 24°C by the end.

A typical May day in Grootfontein reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°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)
12714
22714
32713
42713
52613
62613
72613
82613
92613
102612
112612
122612
132612
142612
152612
162512
172511
182511
192511
202511
212511
222511
232511
242511
252510
262410
272410
282410
292410
302410
312410

How May really feels in Grootfontein

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.

Grootfontein weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 19°16516.9134.5
Feb28° / 18°14715.912.74.8
Mar28° / 18°11214.712.15.6
Apr27° / 15°335.811.67.6
May25° / 12°10.511.19.2
Jun23° / 0010.89.6
Jul23° / 0010.99.5
Aug27° / 11°00.111.38.9
Sep30° / 15°50.911.96.4
Oct32° / 18°234.712.54.6
Nov31° / 19°7112.112.94.2
Dec30° / 19°11715.713.24.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 87% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 4%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1955
2955
3955
4955
5964
6964
7964
8964
9964
10964
11964
12964
13964
14964
15964
16964
17964
18964
19964
20973
21973
22973
23973
24973
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Grootfontein gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.5 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 2% and peaks near 5% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
15
24
34
43
53
63
72
82
92
102
112
122
132
142
152
162
172
182
192
202
212
222
232
242
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19442
29442
39532
49631
59721
69721
79721
89910
99910
109910
119910
1210000
1310000
1410000
1510000
1610000
1710000
1810000
1910000
2010000
2110000
2210000
2310000
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

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
110calm
210calm
310calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min at the start of May to 10 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 7:06 AM to 7:18 AM, and sunset from 6:24 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.37:066:24
211.37:066:23
311.37:076:22
411.27:076:22
511.27:076:21
611.27:086:21
711.27:086:20
811.27:086:20
911.27:096:19
1011.27:096:19
1111.17:106:18
1211.17:106:18
1311.17:106:17
1411.17:116:17
1511.17:116:17
1611.17:126:16
1711.17:126:16
1811.17:126:15
1911.07:136:15
2011.07:136:15
2111.07:146:14
2211.07:146:14
2311.07:146:14
2411.07:156:14
2511.07:156:13
2611.07:166:13
2711.07:166:13
2810.97:166:13
2910.97:176:13
3010.97:176:13
3110.97:186:12

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.89 kWh/m² to a high of 7.28 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.28 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Grootfontein

In seasonPeak

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

Grootfontein's rainy season runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Grootfontein?

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

9.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
8.4
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Grootfontein in May

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

In May, Grootfontein sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Grootfontein 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 Grootfontein peaks around January 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 15UV 15Jun 23UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May9Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Grootfontein?

Grootfontein sits at 19.6°S, 18.1°E, 1,432 m above sea level, in Namibia. The nearest listed city is Tsumeb, 54 km away.

OtjiwarongoRunduOndangwaOkahandjaOngwedivaOshakatiNdiyona

Topography around Grootfontein

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Grootfontein has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 86 m around an average of 1,447 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 376 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 956 m.

The land around Grootfontein is covered by shrubs (64%) within 3 km, shrubs (82%) within 16 km, and shrubs (93%) within 80 km.

3 km
86 m
16 km
376 m
80 km
956 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Tsumeb 54 km · Otjiwarongo 181 km · Rundu 255 km · Ondangwa 290 km · Okahandja 295 km · Ongwediva 317 km · Oshakati 321 km · Ndiyona 323 km

Namibia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / M
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,876
2025
Happiness
4.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
11.2
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
34.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Christian 98%unaffiliated 2%other 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 Grootfontein (-19.5733°, 18.1003°, elevation 1,432 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).