Walvis Bay weather in May

In May, Walvis Bay sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.2 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of May to 10 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Walvis Bay's 3rd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Walvis Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
4th warmest
Overnight low
15°
7th coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
7:31 AM – 6:25 PM
Cloud cover
17%
3rd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.7
out of 10

Walvis Bay is city and harbour in Erongo Region, Namibia.

Founded
1840

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 20°C through the month.

A typical May day in Walvis Bay reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12015
22015
32015
42115
52115
62115
72115
82115
92115
102115
112115
122115
132115
142115
152115
162115
172115
182115
192115
202115
212015
222015
232015
242015
252014
262014
272014
282014
292014
302014
312014

Walvis Bay weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 17°30.613.38.0
Feb21° / 17°40.812.88.1
Mar21° / 17°30.512.28.4
Apr21° / 16°30.511.58.6
May20° / 15°10.210.98.7
Jun20° / 14°00.110.68.7
Jul20° / 13°10.110.78.6
Aug18° / 12°00.111.27.8
Sep17° / 12°10.211.97.4
Oct18° / 13°0012.57.6
Nov19° / 14°00.113.17.9
Dec19° / 15°10.113.48.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 6%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1946
2946
3946
4946
5946
6946
7946
8946
9946
10946
11946
12946
13955
14955
15946
16946
17946
18946
19946
20946
21946
22946
23946
24946
25946
26946
27946
28946
29946
30946
31946

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Walvis Bay gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.2 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 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
310

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 (%)
172262
274242
376222
478202
579192
681172
783152
885141
987121
1088111
1189101
129091
139181
149370
159370
169460
179460
189460
199550
209550
219550
229550
239550
249550
259640
269640
279640
289730
299730
309730
319730

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of May to 10 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 7:24 AM to 7:38 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.27:246:34
211.17:256:33
311.17:256:33
411.17:266:32
511.17:266:31
611.17:276:31
711.07:276:30
811.07:276:29
911.07:286:29
1011.07:286:28
1111.07:296:28
1211.07:296:27
1310.97:306:27
1410.97:306:26
1510.97:316:26
1610.97:316:25
1710.97:326:25
1810.97:326:24
1910.97:336:24
2010.87:336:24
2110.87:346:23
2210.87:346:23
2310.87:356:22
2410.87:356:22
2510.87:356:22
2610.87:366:22
2710.77:366:21
2810.77:376:21
2910.77:376:21
3010.77:386:21
3110.77:386:21

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.77 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.3 kWh/m² to a high of 7.99 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 4.77 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Walvis Bay?

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

8.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Walvis Bay for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Walvis Bay in May

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

In May, Walvis Bay sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: sun protection.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Walvis Bay in May

The nearest coast averages about 15°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 16 km away) is warmest in February at about 18°C and coldest in August near 13°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

12°14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr16Cool
May15Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov15Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Walvis Bay 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 Walvis Bay peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 14Jun 18UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr9Very high
May7High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Walvis Bay 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 Walvis Bay is worst in July — around 36 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 7.8× the cleanest month (January, 5 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1235 µg/m³Jan 145 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar5Good
Apr9Good
May24Moderate
Jun33Moderate
Jul36Poor
Aug25Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Walvis Bay?

Walvis Bay sits at 23.0°S, 14.5°E, 6 m above sea level, in Namibia. The nearest listed city is Swakopmund, 31 km away.

KatuturaRehobothWindhoekOkahandjaOtjiwarongoMarientalLüderitz

Topography around Walvis Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Walvis Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 14 m around an average of 2 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 130 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 873 m.

The land around Walvis Bay is covered by bare terrain (37%), artificial surfaces (31%) and water (28%) within 3 km, bare terrain (53%) and water (43%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (65%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
14 m
16 km
130 m
80 km
873 m
shrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Swakopmund 31 km · Katutura 266 km · Rehoboth 267 km · Windhoek 268 km · Okahandja 269 km · Otjiwarongo 355 km · Mariental 398 km · Lüderitz 416 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 Walvis Bay (-22.9575°, 14.5053°, elevation 6 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. 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. 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).