Ilām weather in May

In May, Ilām sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 288 mm of rain across 28.5 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of May to 13 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ilām's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ilām's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
16°
8th coldest
Rainfall
288 mm
28.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:10 AM – 6:29 PM
Cloud cover
65%
8th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical May day in Ilām reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C warmer than April and on par with June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12415
22415
32415
42415
52415
62415
72415
82415
92415
102416
112416
122416
132416
142516
152516
162516
172516
182516
192517
202517
212517
222517
232517
242517
252517
262517
272517
282517
292517
302518
312518

Ilām weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 296.510.55.2
Feb17° / 5611.2115.4
Mar21° / 10°1001711.85.6
Apr24° / 13°16321.812.65.1
May25° / 16°28828.513.34.1
Jun25° / 19°52629.513.73.6
Jul24° / 20°82530.913.53.4
Aug25° / 19°56630.6133.5
Sep24° / 18°39628.312.23.9
Oct23° / 14°1351811.45.8
Nov20° / 10°277.110.77.0
Dec17° / 153.410.36.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24357
34357
44258
54258
64357
74357
84456
94357
104357
114357
124159
134159
144159
153961
163961
173763
183664
193565
203466
213169
223169
232971
242971
252872
262872
272773
282674
292674
302575
312476

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ilām gets around 288 mm of rain over 28.5 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 92% and peaks near 96% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
188
288
389
489
589
689
790
890
990
1090
1190
1290
1390
1490
1590
1691
1791
1892
1992
2092
2193
2293
2394
2494
2595
2695
2795
2896
2996
3096
3196

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 52% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 26% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11343404
21142425
31040455
4938476
5836506
6734527
7732538
8630559
95285710
105265811
114246012
124226014
133216016
143196117
152186020
162175922
172155924
181145827
191135729
201115632
211105534
22095437
23085339
24075241
25065044
26054946
27044749
28034552
29034354
30024157
31023959

Wind in May

Winds average 4 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours at the start of May to 13 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:20 AM to 5:04 AM, and sunset from 6:21 PM to 6:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:206:21
213.05:196:21
313.15:196:22
413.15:186:22
513.15:176:23
613.15:166:23
713.15:166:24
813.25:156:25
913.25:146:25
1013.25:146:26
1113.25:136:26
1213.25:126:27
1313.35:126:27
1413.35:116:28
1513.35:106:29
1613.35:106:29
1713.35:096:30
1813.45:096:30
1913.45:086:31
2013.45:086:31
2113.45:076:32
2213.45:076:33
2313.45:076:33
2413.55:066:34
2513.55:066:34
2613.55:056:35
2713.55:056:35
2813.55:056:36
2913.55:056:36
3013.55:046:37
3113.65:046:37

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.29 kWh/m² to a high of 5.7 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 5.35 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Ilām

In seasonPeak

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

Ilām's monsoon runs June–September, 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 Ilām?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Ilām for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ilām in May

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

In May, Ilām sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Ilām 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 Ilām peaks around July 18 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeModerateJul 18UV 12Jan 1UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar9Very high
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul13Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Ilām 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 Ilām is worst in January — around 111 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.6× the cleanest month (July, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyJan 18111 µg/m³Jul 1925 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan111Unhealthy
Feb107Unhealthy
Mar92Unhealthy
Apr74Unhealthy
May52Poor
Jun37Poor
Jul24Moderate
Aug31Moderate
Sep40Poor
Oct59Unhealthy
Nov81Unhealthy
Dec104Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Ilām?

Ilām sits at 26.9°N, 87.9°E, 1,218 m above sea level, in Nepal. The nearest listed city is Darjeeling, 36 km away.

DhankutāDharānĪṭahari̇̄BiratnagarInaruwaKhā̃dbāri̇̄

Topography around Ilām

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ilām has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 966 m around an average of 897 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,582 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,186 m.

The land around Ilām is covered by trees (88%) within 3 km, trees (92%) within 16 km, and trees (66%) and cropland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
966 m
16 km
2,582 m
80 km
7,186 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Darjeeling 36 km · Bhadrapur 44 km · Dhankutā 60 km · Dharān 65 km · Īṭahari̇̄ 70 km · Biratnagar 83 km · Inaruwa 84 km · Khā̃dbāri̇̄ 88 km

Nepal travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / D / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 24% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,536
2025
Happiness
5.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
16%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.1
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
16.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 514
Religion
Hindu 81%Buddhist 8%Muslim 5%Kirat 3%

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 Ilām (26.9094°, 87.9282°, elevation 1,218 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).