Katima Mulilo weather in May

In May, Katima Mulilo sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.3 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 29°C in the first days to 27°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Katima Mulilo's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Katima Mulilo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
10th warmest
Overnight low
14°
4th coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
6:44 AM – 5:55 PM
Cloud cover
19%
5th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Katima Mulilo is town in Zambezi Region, Namibia.

Density
1,006/km²
people per km²
Founded
1935

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 29°C in the first days to 27°C by the end.

A typical May day in Katima Mulilo reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12916
22916
32916
42916
52916
62916
72915
82915
92915
102915
112815
122815
132815
142815
152814
162814
172814
182814
192814
202814
212814
222714
232714
242714
252713
262713
272713
282713
292713
302713
312713

How May really feels in Katima Mulilo

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.

Katima Mulilo 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
Jan30° / 21°1982112.93.8
Feb29° / 20°16017.612.64.1
Mar30° / 20°961312.14.8
Apr30° / 18°202.911.66.4
May28° / 14°10.311.28.2
Jun26° / 12°10.2119.2
Jul25° / 11°0011.19.3
Aug29° / 14°0011.47.6
Sep33° / 18°20.311.94.8
Oct35° / 21°123.312.43.2
Nov33° / 21°8113.112.83.4
Dec30° / 21°16020.4133.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% 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 6%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1937
2946
3955
4955
5955
6955
7955
8955
9955
10955
11955
12946
13946
14946
15946
16946
17946
18946
19946
20937
21937
22937
23946
24946
25946
26955
27955
28955
29955
30955
31955

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Katima Mulilo gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.3 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 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
32
42
52
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
140
150
160
170
180
190
201
211
221
231
241
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 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1672481
2712270
3732160
4742060
5771850
6791740
7821530
8831430
9851320
10871120
11881020
1290910
1391810
1492710
1593610
1695500
1796400
1896400
1997300
2097300
2197300
2297300
2397300
2497300
2597300
2697300
2797300
2897300
2997300
3098200
3198200

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 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 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:39 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 6:01 PM to 5:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:396:01
211.46:396:01
311.36:396:00
411.36:406:00
511.36:405:59
611.36:405:59
711.36:415:58
811.36:415:58
911.36:415:57
1011.36:425:57
1111.26:425:56
1211.26:425:56
1311.26:435:56
1411.26:435:55
1511.26:435:55
1611.26:445:55
1711.26:445:54
1811.26:445:54
1911.16:455:54
2011.16:455:53
2111.16:455:53
2211.16:465:53
2311.16:465:53
2411.16:475:52
2511.16:475:52
2611.16:475:52
2711.16:485:52
2811.16:485:52
2911.16:485:52
3011.06:495:52
3111.06:495:51

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.81 kWh/m² to a high of 7.18 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.25 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Katima Mulilo

In seasonPeak

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

Katima Mulilo's monsoon runs December–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 Katima Mulilo?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
9.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Katima Mulilo in May

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

In May, Katima Mulilo sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 14°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Katima Mulilo 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 Katima Mulilo peaks around January 17 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 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 17UV 15Jul 10UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Katima Mulilo 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 Katima Mulilo is worst in August — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 7.2× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodAug 1938 µg/m³Dec 196 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May15Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul30Moderate
Aug39Poor
Sep35Moderate
Oct20Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Katima Mulilo?

Katima Mulilo sits at 17.5°S, 24.3°E, 951 m above sea level, in Namibia. The nearest listed city is Sesheke, 4.0 km away.

KasaneLivingstoneVictoria Falls

Topography around Katima Mulilo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Katima Mulilo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 25 m around an average of 944 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 165 m.

The land around Katima Mulilo is covered by trees (28%), artificial surfaces (25%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, shrubs (45%) and trees (34%) within 16 km, and shrubs (43%) and trees (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
25 m
16 km
92 m
80 km
165 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Sesheke 4.0 km · Kasane 99 km · Livingstone 171 km · Victoria Falls 171 km · Senanga 188 km · Kalomo 240 km · Hwange 254 km · Itezhi-Tezhi 272 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 Katima Mulilo (-17.5047°, 24.2757°, elevation 951 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).