Gisborne weather in May

In May, Gisborne sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 74 mm of rain across 9.7 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 24 min at the start of May to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Gisborne's 2nd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gisborne's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
8th warmest
Overnight low
10°
5th coldest
Rainfall
74 mm
9.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
8:07 AM – 6:01 PM
Cloud cover
54%
2nd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
2.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Gisborne is city in New Zealand.

Density
992/km²
people per km²

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 17°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical May day in Gisborne reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°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°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11711
21711
31711
41711
51711
61711
71711
81711
91711
101711
111711
121710
131710
141710
151610
161610
171610
181610
191610
201610
211610
221610
231610
24169
25159
26159
27159
28159
29159
30159
31159

Gisborne weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 16°637.514.47.1
Feb22° / 16°577.613.56.9
Mar21° / 14°728.412.36.7
Apr19° / 12°759.3116.1
May16° / 10°749.79.95.3
Jun14° / 8810.79.44.1
Jul13° / 9812.19.63.5
Aug14° / 8212.110.53.8
Sep15° / 7010.511.74.6
Oct17° / 10°669.7135.6
Nov19° / 12°579.114.16.2
Dec21° / 14°639.714.76.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24852
34852
44852
54951
64951
74951
84951
95050
105050
115149
125248
135248
145347
155347
165545
175545
185644
195644
205644
215644
225644
235644
245545
255545
265545
275644
285644
295644
305644
315644

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Gisborne gets around 74 mm of rain over 9.7 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 31% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
332
432
532
632
732
832
931
1031
1130
1229
1329
1428
1528
1628
1728
1828
1929
2029
2129
2230
2330
2431
2532
2632
2733
2834
2935
3035
3135

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 (%)
181163
282153
382153
483152
584142
684142
785132
885132
986122
1087121
1188111
1288111
1389101
1489101
1589101
169190
179190
189280
199280
209280
219370
229370
239460
249460
259460
269550
279550
289550
299550
309550
319640

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
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 10 h 24 min at the start of May to 9 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 7:53 AM to 8:20 AM, and sunset from 6:17 PM to 5:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.47:536:17
210.47:546:16
310.37:556:15
410.37:566:14
510.37:576:13
610.27:586:11
710.27:596:10
810.28:006:09
910.18:016:08
1010.18:026:07
1110.18:036:06
1210.08:036:05
1310.08:046:04
1410.08:056:03
159.98:066:02
169.98:076:01
179.98:086:00
189.88:096:00
199.88:105:59
209.88:115:58
219.88:125:57
229.78:125:56
239.78:135:56
249.78:145:55
259.78:155:54
269.68:165:54
279.68:175:53
289.68:175:53
299.68:185:52
309.58:195:52
319.58:205:51

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.87 kWh/m² to a high of 7.07 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 2.35 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.7Moderate
22.7Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.0Moderate
312.0Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Gisborne?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.8
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Gisborne for sightseeing.

What to pack for Gisborne in May

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

In May, Gisborne sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Gisborne in May

The nearest coast averages about 17°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 20°C and coldest in August near 14°C.

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

15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb20Cool
Mar19Cool
Apr18Cool
May17Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct15Bracing
Nov16Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Gisborne 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 Gisborne peaks around December 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateModerateHighVery highExtremeDec 23UV 12Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar7Very high
Apr5Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct7High
Nov10Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Gisborne?

Gisborne sits at 38.7°S, 178.0°E, 10 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Whakatane, 118 km away.

WhakataneNapierHastingsRotoruaTaupoTaurangaCambridgeHamilton East

Topography around Gisborne

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gisborne has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 m around an average of 17 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 474 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,632 m.

The land around Gisborne is covered by grassland (42%), artificial surfaces (22%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, grassland (37%), water (31%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and water (37%), trees (35%) and grassland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
230 m
16 km
474 m
80 km
1,632 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Whakatane 118 km · Napier 133 km · Hastings 148 km · Rotorua 164 km · Taupo 167 km · Tauranga 193 km · Cambridge 240 km · Hamilton East 256 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 Gisborne (-38.6533°, 178.0042°, elevation 10 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).