Pokhara weather in May

In May, Pokhara sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 382 mm of rain across 23.5 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of May to 13 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Pokhara's 7th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pokhara's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
5th warmest
Overnight low
13°
8th coldest
Rainfall
382 mm
23.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:23 AM – 6:47 PM
Cloud cover
58%
7th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Pokhara is metropolitan city of Nepal.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 36.1 µg/m³ · 2020
Density
10,715/km²
people per km²
Founded
1962

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 23°C through the month.

A typical May day in Pokhara reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C warmer than April and about 1°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12311
22311
32312
42312
52312
62312
72312
82312
92312
102312
112313
122313
132313
142313
152313
162313
172314
182314
192314
202314
212314
222314
232314
242315
252315
262415
272415
282415
292415
302415
312416

Pokhara weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan13° / 13015.710.43.3
Feb15° / 17019.2113.6
Mar19° / 15919.711.84.8
Apr22° / 16316.512.75.7
May23° / 13°38223.513.44.9
Jun24° / 18°6892813.83.9
Jul24° / 19°112730.713.63.5
Aug24° / 19°96629.8133.6
Sep24° / 17°60327.512.24.0
Oct21° / 12°19719.111.35.4
Nov18° / 14716.210.65.0
Dec15° / 10514.510.24.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25545
35545
45545
55644
65644
75644
85644
95644
105644
115644
125644
135545
145545
155446
165347
175248
185149
195050
204951
214852
224753
234753
244654
254654
264555
274654
284555
294456
304456
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Pokhara gets around 382 mm of rain over 23.5 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 75% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
164
265
366
466
567
667
767
868
968
1069
1169
1270
1371
1472
1573
1674
1775
1877
1978
2079
2180
2281
2382
2482
2583
2683
2783
2884
2984
3084
3184

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1474670
2444880
3424990
44050101
53850111
63650131
73451141
83350162
93149172
102949193
112748213
122647234
132447254
142246275
152045296
161844316
171743337
181542358
191341379
2011413810
2110404010
228394211
237394311
246384412
255374613
264364713
274344814
283334915
293315016
303295117
313275119

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 h 06 min 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 30 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:34 AM to 5:17 AM, and sunset from 6:38 PM to 6:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.15:346:38
213.15:336:39
313.15:336:40
413.15:326:40
513.25:316:41
613.25:306:41
713.25:296:42
813.25:296:43
913.35:286:43
1013.35:276:44
1113.35:276:44
1213.35:266:45
1313.35:256:46
1413.45:256:46
1513.45:246:47
1613.45:236:47
1713.45:236:48
1813.45:226:49
1913.55:226:49
2013.55:216:50
2113.55:216:50
2213.55:206:51
2313.55:206:52
2413.55:196:52
2513.65:196:53
2613.65:196:53
2713.65:186:54
2813.65:186:54
2913.65:186:55
3013.65:176:55
3113.65:176:56

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 5.86 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.0Intense
86.0Intense
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Pokhara

In seasonPeak

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

Pokhara'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 Pokhara?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Pokhara for sightseeing.

What to pack for Pokhara in May

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

In May, Pokhara sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 13°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 24 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Pokhara in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Pokhara peaks around August 12 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighExtremeVery highModerateAug 12UV 13Dec 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5Moderate
Feb6High
Mar11Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov5High
Dec5Moderate

Air quality in Pokhara 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 Pokhara is worst in January — around 55 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.1× the cleanest month (July, 13 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Pokhara's WHO annual average of 36.1 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorJan 1854 µg/m³Jul 2214 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan55Unhealthy
Feb51Poor
Mar48Poor
Apr48Poor
May36Poor
Jun28Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct30Moderate
Nov41Poor
Dec49Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Pokhara?

Pokhara sits at 28.3°N, 84.0°E, 1,008 m above sea level, in Nepal. The nearest listed city is Bāgluṅ, 36 km away.

TānsenChitwanButwālSiddharthanagarLumbiniHetauda

Topography around Pokhara

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pokhara has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 784 m around an average of 1,094 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,119 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,986 m.

The land around Pokhara is covered by trees (58%) within 3 km, trees (76%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) within 80 km.

3 km
784 m
16 km
3,119 m
80 km
7,986 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Bāgluṅ 36 km · Wāliṅ 38 km · Tānsen 61 km · Chitwan 80 km · Butwāl 82 km · Siddharthanagar 99 km · Lumbini 115 km · Hetauda 140 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 Pokhara (28.2669°, 83.9685°, elevation 1,008 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).