Dumbéa weather in May

In May, Dumbéa sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 99 mm of rain across 11.4 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-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 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of May to 10 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Dumbéa's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dumbéa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
7th warmest
Overnight low
20°
6th coldest
Rainfall
99 mm
11.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:22 AM – 5:19 PM
Cloud cover
61%
10th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.5 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Dumbéa is human settlement in France.

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 Dumbéa reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12421
22421
32421
42421
52421
62420
72320
82320
92320
102320
112320
122320
132320
142320
152320
162320
172320
182320
192320
202320
212320
222320
232320
242320
252320
262319
272319
282319
292219
302219
312219

Dumbéa weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 23°1401513.25.9
Feb27° / 23°13816.312.85.4
Mar26° / 23°18818.912.25.3
Apr25° / 22°12415.311.56.1
May23° / 20°9911.4116.6
Jun22° / 19°789.710.76.6
Jul21° / 17°648.210.86.8
Aug21° / 17°67811.26.8
Sep22° / 18°486.811.97.3
Oct23° / 19°387.412.57.4
Nov24° / 20°658.513.17.3
Dec26° / 22°881213.36.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45446
55446
65347
75347
85347
95347
105248
115347
125347
135347
145347
155446
165347
175347
185347
195248
205248
215149
225149
235050
245050
255050
264951
274951
284951
294951
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Dumbéa gets around 99 mm of rain over 11.4 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 36% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
342
442
541
641
740
839
939
1038
1137
1237
1337
1436
1536
1635
1735
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2334
2434
2534
2634
2734
2833
2933
3032
3132

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 33% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 39% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1015294312
2016304311
3018304210
4019304110
502030409
612130408
712231398
812331387
912431377
1012432366
1122532356
1222533346
1322533346
1422634335
1532634335
1632635325
1732535325
1832636324
1942536314
2042536314
2142636304
2242636304
2342736294
2442736294
2542836283
2652936283
2753035273
2853135263
2963235253
3063235243
3163335233

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of May to 10 h 48 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 6:16 AM to 6:29 AM, and sunset from 5:27 PM to 5:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:165:27
211.26:165:27
311.26:165:26
411.16:175:25
511.16:175:25
611.16:185:24
711.16:185:23
811.16:195:23
911.16:195:22
1011.06:195:22
1111.06:205:21
1211.06:205:21
1311.06:215:20
1411.06:215:20
1511.06:225:19
1610.96:225:19
1710.96:235:18
1810.96:235:18
1910.96:245:17
2010.96:245:17
2110.96:245:17
2210.96:255:16
2310.86:255:16
2410.86:265:16
2510.86:265:16
2610.86:275:15
2710.86:275:15
2810.86:285:15
2910.86:285:15
3010.86:285:14
3110.86:295:14

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.5 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.1 kWh/m² to a high of 6.43 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 3.5 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.7Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.6Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.3Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.3Moderate
263.3Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Dumbéa

In seasonPeak

In May, Dumbéa sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Dumbéa sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

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

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

Is May a good time to visit Dumbéa?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Dumbéa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dumbéa in May

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

In May, Dumbéa sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 20°C. Worth packing: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Dumbéa in May

The nearest coast averages about 25°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in February at about 27°C and coldest in August near 22°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr26Warm
May25Warm
Jun24Refreshing
Jul23Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct23Refreshing
Nov24Warm
Dec26Warm

UV index in Dumbéa 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 Dumbéa peaks around February 13 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 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 highExtremeFeb 13UV 15Jul 10UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr10Very high
May7High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Dumbéa?

Dumbéa sits at 22.2°S, 166.5°E, 50 m above sea level, in New Caledonia. The nearest listed city is Noumea, 13 km away.

BourailOuvéa

Topography around Dumbéa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dumbéa has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 298 m around an average of 47 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,352 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,604 m.

The land around Dumbéa is covered by trees (66%) and grassland (24%) within 3 km, trees (56%) and water (22%) within 16 km, and water (70%) and trees (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
298 m
16 km
1,352 m
80 km
1,604 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
May weather nearby: Noumea 13 km · Mont-Dore 16 km · Bourail 119 km · Ouvéa 168 km · Port Vila 528 km · Kingston 782 km · Sigatoka 1,236 km · Nadi 1,243 km

New Caledonia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
GDP per capita
$29,213
2024
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.1
per 100k, 2009
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 85%unaffiliated 10%Muslim 3%other 2%

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 Dumbéa (-22.1576°, 166.4572°, elevation 50 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).