Auckland weather in May

In May, Auckland sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 96 mm of rain across 11.4 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 30 min at the start of May to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Auckland's 2nd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Auckland's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
7th warmest
Overnight low
13°
6th coldest
Rainfall
96 mm
11.4 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
8:16 AM – 6:18 PM
Cloud cover
58%
2nd clearest
Wind
18 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Auckland is city on the North Island, New Zealand.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 5.7 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
2,768/km²
people per km²
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

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Auckland reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11814
21814
31814
41814
51814
61814
71814
81814
91814
101713
111713
121713
131713
141713
151713
161713
171713
181713
191713
201713
211713
221613
231613
241612
251612
261612
271612
281612
291612
301612
311612

Auckland weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 17°708.714.26.7
Feb22° / 18°63813.46.8
Mar21° / 17°698.512.36.7
Apr19° / 15°749.511.16.2
May17° / 13°9611.410.15.3
Jun15° / 11°10011.69.54.3
Jul14° / 10°115149.73.8
Aug14° / 10°10414.610.63.8
Sep15° / 11°9413.411.74.2
Oct16° / 12°7811.8134.9
Nov18° / 14°7410.8145.6
Dec20° / 16°921114.56.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25347
35347
45347
55347
65347
75347
85347
95347
105347
115347
125347
135347
145248
155248
165248
175347
185347
195347
205347
215347
225347
235446
245446
255446
265446
275446
285446
295446
305446
315446

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Auckland gets around 96 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 42% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
331
431
531
632
732
832
932
1032
1133
1233
1333
1434
1535
1636
1737
1838
1939
2039
2140
2241
2341
2441
2542
2642
2742
2842
2942
3041
3141

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 72% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1602911
2602911
3602911
4612811
5622810
6632710
7632710
865269
966259
1066259
1168248
1269238
1370237
1471227
1571227
1673216
1773216
1873216
1974215
2075205
2176204
2277194
2378193
2478193
2579183
2680182
2780182
2880182
2982171
3082171
3182171

Wind in May

Winds average 18 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 30 min at the start of May to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 8:03 AM to 8:28 AM, and sunset from 6:33 PM to 6:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.58:036:33
210.58:046:32
310.48:056:31
410.48:066:30
510.48:066:29
610.38:076:28
710.38:086:27
810.38:096:26
910.28:106:25
1010.28:116:24
1110.28:126:23
1210.28:136:22
1310.18:136:21
1410.18:146:20
1510.18:156:19
1610.08:166:18
1710.08:176:18
1810.08:186:17
1910.08:196:16
209.98:196:15
219.98:206:15
229.98:216:14
239.98:226:13
249.88:236:13
259.88:236:12
269.88:246:11
279.88:256:11
289.78:266:10
299.78:266:10
309.78:276:09
319.78:286:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2 kWh/m² to a high of 7.17 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 2.48 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.9Moderate
22.9Moderate
32.9Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Auckland

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is May a good time to visit Auckland?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
1.2
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Auckland for sightseeing.

What to pack for Auckland in May

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

In May, Auckland sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Auckland in May

The nearest coast averages about 18°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 27 km away) is warmest in February at about 21°C and coldest in August near 14°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jan 10 to Mar 31 — about 2.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan20Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar21Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May18Cool
Jun16Cool
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct15Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec19Cool

UV index in Auckland in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Auckland peaks around January 12 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 12UV 12Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr5High
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct8Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Auckland?

Auckland sits at 36.8°S, 174.8°E, 43 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Mount Eden, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Auckland

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Auckland has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 176 m around an average of 28 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 887 m.

The land around Auckland is covered by artificial surfaces (44%) and water (36%) within 3 km, water (37%), artificial surfaces (28%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and water (55%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
176 m
16 km
253 m
80 km
887 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
May weather nearby: Mount Eden 4.0 km · Epsom 4.0 km · Remuera 5.0 km · North Shore 6.0 km · Avondale 7.0 km · New Lynn 9.0 km · Te Atatu Peninsula 10 km · Te Atatu South 10 km

New Zealand travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 86% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$49,591
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.5
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
9.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
no religion 49%Christian 37%objected to answering 7%Hindu 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 Auckland (-36.8485°, 174.7635°, elevation 43 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).