Hamilton East weather in May

In May, Hamilton East sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 107 mm of rain across 11.6 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Hamilton East's 3rd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hamilton East's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
8th warmest
Overnight low
5th coldest
Rainfall
107 mm
11.6 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
8:16 AM – 6:14 PM
Cloud cover
61%
3rd clearest
Wind
12 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
2.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Hamilton East is suburb of Hamilton, New Zealand.

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 15°C by the end.

A typical May day in Hamilton East reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11810
21810
31810
4189
5189
6189
7189
8189
9179
10179
11179
12179
13179
14179
15179
16179
17179
18179
19169
20168
21168
22168
23168
24168
25168
26168
27168
28168
29158
30157
31157

Hamilton East 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
Jan23° / 15°718.814.36.9
Feb24° / 15°707.913.57.1
Mar22° / 13°727.812.37.0
Apr19° / 11°919.411.16.2
May17° / 10711.6105.2
Jun14° / 11412.39.44.0
Jul14° / 12813.59.73.6
Aug14° / 12214.810.53.8
Sep16° / 11413.911.74.3
Oct17° / 10°10012.7135.1
Nov19° / 11°8811.1145.7
Dec21° / 13°991114.66.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24951
34852
44852
54852
64852
74852
84753
94753
104753
114753
124753
134654
144753
154753
164654
174654
184753
194654
204753
214753
224852
234951
244951
254951
265050
275050
285149
295149
305050
315149

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Hamilton East gets around 107 mm of rain over 11.6 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 38% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
333
433
533
633
733
833
934
1034
1134
1234
1335
1435
1536
1637
1738
1839
1940
2041
2141
2242
2342
2442
2542
2643
2743
2843
2943
3043
3142

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 83% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
176177
276177
376177
478166
578166
678166
779156
879156
981145
1081145
1182135
1282135
1383125
1484124
1584124
1684124
1784124
1884124
1985123
2085123
2185123
2285123
2387112
2487112
2587112
2688102
2788102
2889101
299091
309091
319091

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 30 min at the start of May to 9 h 36 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 8:02 AM to 8:28 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.58:026:30
210.48:036:29
310.48:046:27
410.48:056:26
510.38:066:25
610.38:076:24
710.38:086:23
810.28:096:22
910.28:106:21
1010.28:116:20
1110.18:126:19
1210.18:126:18
1310.18:136:17
1410.08:146:16
1510.08:156:15
1610.08:166:14
179.98:176:13
189.98:186:12
199.98:196:12
209.98:196:11
219.88:206:10
229.88:216:09
239.88:226:09
249.88:236:08
259.78:246:07
269.78:246:07
279.78:256:06
289.78:266:06
299.68:276:05
309.68:276:05
319.68:286:04

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.84 kWh/m² to a high of 6.61 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 2.25 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.7Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.0Moderate
252.0Moderate
262.0Moderate
272.0Moderate
282.0Moderate
292.0Dim
302.0Dim
312.0Dim
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Hamilton East

In seasonPeak

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

Hamilton East 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 Hamilton East?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
1.1
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Hamilton East for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hamilton East in May

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

In May, Hamilton East sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Hamilton East 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 at the nearest coast (about 41 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 17 to Mar 15 — about 1.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan20Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May17Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct15Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec19Cool

UV index in Hamilton East 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 Hamilton East peaks around January 12 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 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 highModerateModerateVery highExtremeJan 12UV 12Jun 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr5High
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct7Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Hamilton East?

Hamilton East sits at 37.8°S, 175.3°E, 43 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Hamilton, 1.0 km away.

Topography around Hamilton East

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hamilton East has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m around an average of 40 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 148 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,023 m.

The land around Hamilton East is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, grassland (68%) within 16 km, and grassland (51%) and trees (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
59 m
16 km
148 m
80 km
1,023 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Hamilton 1.0 km · Cambridge 17 km · Pukekohe East 72 km · Tauranga 78 km · Papakura 86 km · Takanini 89 km · Rotorua 92 km · Manurewa 93 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 Hamilton East (-37.7882°, 175.2902°, 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).